Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains: Performed in the Years 1819 and '20

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^ *

I ■

■1

■s. .

a

ACCOUNT

OF AN

r

i-v

EXPEDITION

FROM PITTSBURGH

TO

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS,

PERFORMED

In the Years 1819, 1820.

BY OBDER OF THE

Hon. J. C. CALHOUN, Secretary of War,

UNDER THE COMMAND OF

Maj. S. H. long, of the U. S. Top. Engineers.

compiled
KROM THE NOTES OF MAJOR LONG, MR. T. SAY,

AND OTHER GENTLEMEN OF THE PARTY,

^ By EDWIN JAMES,

• BOTANIST AND GEOLOGIST TO THE EXPEDITION.

c - - ^ r 1

"■»•»•* . » c -»

■* ^ '

•J '

IN reUEFr VOI/UHES. , ;

VOL. III.

• ■ ■ %

LONDON:

PRINTED FOB

LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN,

FATEBNOSTER-ROW.

1823.

• •• •• • **••■•••

• •••! ••••,••• • -• • ••,
• •• •••• •• •• •• ••• •••

• • ••

• ••••(

• • • • A •

• "-

• • •

• •

• •« • •• ••••

CONTENTS

OP

THE THIRD, VOLUME.

CHAP. I.

Page
Inconveniences resulting from want of Water. — Wood
Ticks. — Plants. — Loss of One of the Party. —
Honey Bees. — Forests. — Gray Sandstone. — Indi-
cations of Coal. — Limestone - - - 1

CHAP. 11.

Osage Orange. — Birds. — Falls of the Canadian. —
Green argillaceous Sandstone. — Northern and
Southern Tributaries of the Canadian. — Cotton-
wood. — Arrival at the Arkansa. — Cane Brakes. —
Cherokees. — Belle Point - - - - 22

CHAP. IIL

The Party proceed upon their Route. — Thunder-
storm. — Some Account of the Kiawa, Kaskaia, Ar-
rapaho, and Shienne Indians. — New Species of
Toad - - . - - . 39

CHAP. IV.

Arrapaho War-party. — Tabanus. — Rattlesnakes. —
Burrowing Owl. — Departure of Bijeau and Ledoux
for the Pawnee Villages. — Scarcity of Timber. —
Great Herds of Bisons. — Wolves - - -- 56

Vi CONTENTS.

CHAP. V.

Page

Termination of the Great Bend of iht Arkansa. — letan
War-party. — Little Arkansa. — Red River Fork. —
Little Neosho and Little Verdigrise Creeks - - 70

CHAP. VL

Indian hunting Encampment. — Brackish Water. —^
The Party pressed by Hunger. — Forked-tailed Fly-
catcher. — An elevated, almost mountainous, Range
of Country. — Desertion of Three Men. — Red
Water 85

CHAP. VII.

The Party meet with Osage Indians. — Some Account
of this Nation. — Manner of taking Wild Horses - 101

CHAP. VIII.

Verdigrise River. — Mr. Glenn's Trading-House. —
New Species of Lizard. — Neosho or Grand River.
Salt Works. — Large Spider. — Illinois Creek. —
Ticks. — Arrival at Belle Point - - - 1 1 5

CHAP. IX.

Journey from Belle Point to Cape Girardeau. — Che-
rokee Indians. — Osage War. — Regulator's Settle-
ments of White River - - - - - 124«

CHAP. X.

Hot Springs of the Washita. — Granite of the Cove. —
Saline River - - - - --148

CHAP. XI.

■

Red River. — Exploring Expedition of 1806. — Return
to the Arkansa. — Earthquakes - - - 163

CONTENTS. Tii

Page
A General Description of the Country traversed
by the exploring Expedition, being the Copy of a
Report of Major Long to the Hon. J. C. Calhoun,
Secretary of War - - - - - -189

Observations on tlie Mineralogy and Geology of
a Fart of the United States West of the Mississippi 271

Notes - - ------ 333

EXPEDITION

FROM PITTSBURGH

TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

CHAPTER I.

INCONVENIENCES RESULTING FROM WANT OP WATER. —

WOOD TICKS. — PLANTS. LOSS OF ONE OF THE PARTY.

— HONEY BEES. FORESTS. GRAY SANDSTONE. IN-
DICATIONS OF COAL. — LIMESTONE.

August 22d. So much rain had fallen during the
night, that, soon after commencing our morning
march, we enjoyed the novel and pleasing sight of a
running stream of water. It had been only two weeks
since the disappearance of running water in the
river above, but during this time we had suffered
much from thirst, and had been constantly tantalized
with the expectation of arriving at the spot where
the river should emerge from the sand. By our
computation of distances we had travelled more than
one hundred and fifty miles along the bed of this
river without having once found it to contain run-
niug water. We had passed the mouths of many
large tributaries, but they, like the river itself, were
beds of naked sand. The narrative of Lewis and
Clarke has been thought deserving of ridicule, on
account of the frequent mention of " dry rivers j'*
but if not rivers, what are these extensive drains,
VOL. in. .B

carrying off the occasional surplus of water from
large districts, to be called ? It is to be remembered
also, that all the more considerable of them are con-
stantly conveying away, silent and unseen, in the
bottom of their deep beds, streams of water of no
trifling magnitude. This is probably the case with
all such as have their sources in the primitive coun-
try of the Rocky Mountains, likewise with those
which traverse any great extent of the floetz trap
district, as both of these formations afford a more
abundant supply of water than the sandstone tracts*

In the afternoon we saw a dense column of smoke
rising suddenly from the summit of a hill at some
distance, on the right hand side of the river. As at
tlie moment the air happened to be calm, the smoke
rose perpendicularly in a defined mass, and after con-
tinoing for a few minutes, ceased suddenly. Having
recently observed the signs of Indians, we took this
as a confirmation of our suspicions, that an encamp-
ment or a village was not far distant. We have ob-
served that parties of Indians, whether stationary or
on their marches, are never without videites^ kept
constantly at a distance from the main body, for the
purpose of giving timely notice of the approach of
enemies. Several methods of telegraphic communi-
cation are in use among them, one of which is this,
of raising a sudden smoke ; and for this purpose they
are said to keep in constant readiness a supply of
combu3tib|es. During the remainder of this and the
day following we were in constant expectation of
falling in with Indians. Towards evening, on the
^d, we saw an unusual number of horses, probably
four or five hundred, standing among the scattered
trees along the river bottom. We saw them whiljs
.more than a mile distant; and from the dispersed
manner of their feeding, and the great intermixture
of colours among them, we concluded they must be
the horses belonging to a band of Indians. We ac-
ebtdingly haltea, and put our gufts in order for

immediate use ; then, approaching cautiously, arrived
within a few rods of the nearest before we discovered
them to be wild horses. They took fright, and dis-
persing in several directions, disappeared almost
instautlv.

At eleven p.m. the double meridian altitude of
the moon's lower limb, observed for latitude, was
72' 18' 15% index error 0" 8' 0". For the two last
days our average course had inclined considerably to
the south ; the water, visible in the river, bad in-
creased rapidly in quantity, and the apparent mag-
nitude of the stream was nearly equal to what it had
been four hundred miles above.

August 24. Our supply of parched corn meal was
now entirely exhausted. Since separating from our
companions on the Arkansa, we had confined our-
selves to the fifth part of a pint each per day, and the
discontinuance of this small allowance was at first
sensibly felt. We however became gradually accus^
tomed to the hunter's life in its utmost simplicity,
eating our bison or bear meat without salt or condi-
ments of any kind, and substituting turkey or veni^
son, both or which we had in the greatest plenty, for
bread. The few hungry weeks we had spent about
the sources of the river had taught us how to dispense
with superfluous luxuries, so the demands of nature
' could be satisfied.

The inconvenience we felt from another source was
more serious. All our clothing had become so dirty
as to be offensive both to sight and sniell. Uniting in
our own persons the professions of traveller, hostler,
butcher, and cook, sleeping on the ground by night,
and being almost incessantly on the march by day ;
it is not to be supposed we could give as much at-
tention to personal neatness as might be wished.
Notwithstanding this, we had kept ourselves in com-
fortable condition as long as we had met with water
in which to wash our clothes. This had not now
beeu the case for some weeks. The sand of the river

B 2

bed approaches in character so near to a fluid,
that it is in vain to search for or to attempt to pro^
duce any considerable inequalities on its surface. The
utmost we had been able to accomplish^ when we had
found it necessary to dig for water, was to scoop a
wide and shallow excavation, in the bottom of which
a few gills would collect, but in so small a qaantity,
that not more than a pint could be dipped up at a
time ; and since the water had appeared above the
sand, it was rare to find it more ttian an inch or two
in depth, and so tiu-bid as to be unfit for use. The
excessive heat of the weather aggravated the incon-.
venience resulting from the want of clean clothing,
and we were not without fears that our health might
suffer.

• The common post oak, the white oak, and several
6ther species, with gymnocladus or coffee-bean tree,
the cercis and the black walnut, indicate here a soil
of very considerable fertility ; and game is so abun-
dant, that we have it at any time in our power to
kill as many bison, bear, deer, and turkies as we
may wish, and it iis not without some difficulty we
can restrain the hunters from destroying more than
sufficient to supply our wants. Our game to-day
has been two bears, three deers, one turkey, a large
white wolf, and a hare. Plums and grapes are very
abundant^ affording food to innumerable bears and
turkies.

August 25, Our eventless journey affords little to
record unless we were to set down the names of the
trees we pass, and of the plants and animals which
occur to our notice. Qur horses have become so ex-
hausted by the great fatigues of the trip, that we find
it necessary to content ourselves with a slower pro^
gress than formerly. According to our expectations
whein we first commenced the descent of this river,
we should ere this time have arrived near the settle-
ments ; these, however, we can jilainly perceive, are
ttiH far distant. The country we are traversing has

a soil of sufficient fertility to support a dense popula*
tion ; but the want of springs and streams ot water
must long oppose a serious obstacle to its occupation
by permanent residents. A little water is to be seen
in the river, but that is stagnant, the rise occasioned
by the late rains having subsided.

Leaving our camp at an early hour, we moved
down the valley towards the south-east, passing some
large and beautiful groves of timber. The fox squir*
rel, which we had not seen since we left the Missouri,
the cardinal and summer red bird, the forked-tail
tyrant, and the pileated wood-pecker, with other
birds and animals belonging to a woody country, now
became frequent. The ravens, common in all the
open plains, began to give place to crows, now first
noticed. Thickets of oak, elm, and nyssa, began to
occur on the hills, and the fertile soil of the low plains
to be covered with a dense growth of ambrosia,
helianthus, and other heavy weeds. As we were riding
forward, at a small distance from the river, two noble
bucks and a fawn happened to cross our path, a few
rods in front of the party. As the wind blew from
them to us, they could not take our scent, and turned
to gaze at us without the least appearance of alarm.
The leader was shot down by one of the party, when
his companion and the fawn, instead of taking fright,
came nearer to us^ and stood within pistol-shot, closely
watching our movements, while the hunters were
butchering the one we. had killed. This unusual de-
gree of tameness we could discover more or less in all
the animals of this region ; and it seems to indicate
that man, the enemy and destroyer of all things, is
less known here than in any portions of the country
we have passed. In some parts of our route we have
seen the antelopes take fright when we were more
than a mile to the windward of them^ when they
could have received no intimation from us only by
sight, yet it does not appear that their powers of

B 3

vision are in any degi'ee superior to those of most
other ruminant animals.

Sunday, August 27th. We were able to select for
this day's rest a delightful situation at the confluence
of a small creek from the south. The wide valley of
the river here presented a pleasing alternation of
heavy forests, with small but luxuriant meadows,
affording a profuse supply of grass for our horses.
The broad hills, swelling gently one above another as
they recede from the river, are diversified with nearly
the same intermixture of field and forest as in the
most highly cultivated portions of the eastern states.
Herds of bisons, wild horses, elk and deer, are
seen quietly grazing in these extensive and fertile
pastures; the habitations and the works of man
alone seem wanting to complete the picture of rural
abundance.

We found, however, the annoyance of innumerable
multitudes of minute, almost invisible, wood ticks, a
sufficient counterpart to the advantages of our situa*
tion. These insects, unlike the mosquitoes, gnats,
and sand flies, are not to be turned aside by a gust
of wind or an atmosphere surcharged with smoke, nor
does the closest dress of leather afford any protection
from their persecutions. The traveller no sooner sets
foot among them, than they commence in countless
thousands their silent and unseen march ; ascending
along the feet and legs, they insinuate themselves into
every article of dress, and fasten, unperceived, their
fangs upon every part of the body. The bite is not
felt until the insect has had time to bury the whole
of his head, and in the case of the most minute and
most troublesome species, nearly his whole body,
under the skin, where he fastens himself with such
tenacity, that he will sooner suffer his head and body
to be dragged apart than relinquish his hold. It
would perhaps be advisable, when they are once
thoroughly planted, to suffer them to remain unmo-

lested, as the head and claws left under the skin pro-
duce more irritation than the living animal; but uiev
excite such intolerable itching» that the finger naib
are sure very soon to do all finger nails can do for
their destruction. The wound, which was at first
almost imperceptible, swells and inflames gradually,
and being enlarged by rubbing and scratching, at
length discharges a serous fluid, and finally suppu-
rates to such an extent as to carry off the ofiendmg
substance. If the insect is suffered to remain un^
molested, he protracts his feast for some weeks, wheA
he is found to have grown of enormous size, and to
have assumed nearly the colour of the skin on which
he has been feeding ; his limbs do not enlarge, but are
almost buried in the mass accumulated on his back^
which extending forward bears against the skin, and
at last pushes the insect from his hold. Nothing is
to be hoped from becoming accustomed to the bite
of these wood ticks. On the contrary, bv long ex^
posure to their venomous influence, the skm acquires
a morbid irritability, which increases in proportion to
the frequency and continuance of the evil^ until at
length the bite of a single tick is sufficient to pro*
duce a large and painful phlegmon. This may not
be the case with every one ; it was so with us.

The burning and smarting of the skin prompted us
to bathe and wash whenever we met with water; but
we had not long continued this practice, when we
perceived it only to augment our sufferings by in*^
creasing the irritation it was meant to allay. [1]

It is not on men alone that these blood-thirsty in-
3ects fasten themselves. Horses, dogs, and many
wild animals are subject to their attacks. On the
necks of horses they are observed to attain a very
large size. It is, nevertheless, sufficiently evident that,
like mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects,
by far the greater number of wood ticks must spend
their lives without ever establishing tliemselves as
parasites on any animal, and even without a single

B 4

8

opportunity of gratifying that thirst for blood whieh,'
as they can exist and perform all the common func^
tions of their life without its agency, would seem to
have been given them merely for the annoyance of
all who may fall in their way.
; Among many other plants, common to the low and
fertile parts of the United States, we observed the
acalypha, and the splendid lobelia cardinalis, also the
cardiospermum halicacabum, sometimes cultivated in
the gardens, and said to be a native of the East
Indies. It is a delicate climbing vine, conspicuous
by its large inflated capsules. The acacia (robinia
pseudoacacia), the honey locust, and the ohio assculus
are among the forest trees, but are confined to the low
grounds. The common black haw (viburnum len-
tago), the persimmon or date plum, and a vitis un-
known to us, occur frequently, and are all loaded
tvith unripe fruit. The mistletoe, whose range of
elevation and latitude seems to correspond very
nearly with that of the miegia and the cypress, oc-
curs nere parasitic on the branches of elms. In the
sandy soils of the hills, the formidable satropha sti-
mulosa is sometimes so frequent as to render the
walking difficult ; it is covered with long and slender
prickles, capable of inflicting a painful and lasting
wound, which is said to prove ruinous to the feet of
the blacks in the West Indies. The cacti and the
bartonias had now disappeared^ as also the yUcca,
the argemone, and most of the plants which had
been conspicuous in the country about the mountains.
The Phytolacca decandria, an almost certain indica-
tion of a fertile soil, the diodia tetragonia, a monarda,
and several new plants, were collected in an excur-
sion from our encampment. The red sandrock is
disclosed in the sides of the hills, but appears less
frequently and contains less gypsum than above,
though it still retains the same peculiar marks, dis-
tinguishing it as the depository of fossil salt; exten-
sive beds of red argillaceous soil occur^ and are almost

. 9

invariably accompanied by saline efflorescences or
incrustations. We search in vain, both in the rocks
and tl;ie soils, for the remains of animals ; and it is
rare in this salt formation to meet with the traces
of organic substances of any kind. The rock itself,
though fine and compact, disintegrates rapidly, pro-
ducing a soil which contains so much alumine as tq
remain long suspended in water, tinging with its
peculiar colour all the rivers of this region. It has
been remarked, that the southern tributaries of the
Arkansa, particularly the Canadian, the Ne-gracka,
and the Ne-sew-ke-tonga, discharge red waters at the
time of high freshets, in such quantity as to give a
colouring to the Arkansa all the way to its conflu-
ence with the Mississippi; from this it is inferred
that those rivers have their sources in a region of
red sandstone, whose north-eastern limit is not very
far removed from the bed of the Arkansa. We at-
tempted to take sets of equal altitudes, but failed on
account of a trifling inaccuracy in our watch ; the
variation of the magnetic needle was found to be the
same as on the 25th, namely 11 ''SO' east.

Our hunters had been sent out in quest of game,
as, notwithstanding the plenty we hacl enjoyed, and
the great number of animals we had killedf, we found
it impossible, on account of the heat of the weather,
and the frequency of the blowing flies, to keep a
supply of meat for more than one day. At evening
they returned, having killed a large black bear ; the
animal finding himself wounded, had turned with
great fary upon the hunter, who, being alone, was
compelled to seek his safety by climbing into a tree.
It is well known that the black bear wul sometimes
turn upon his pursuers, and this it is probable is more
frequently the case at this season than at any other,
as they are now unincumbered with that profusion
of fat, which for a part of the year renders them
clumsy and inactive, and the males are moreover

10

excited by that uncommon ferocity which belongs to
the season of their loves.

August 28th. The weather during the night had
been stormy, a thunder-shower from the north-west
on the preceding evening had been succeeded by
rain ana high winds ; the morning was cool, the
thermometer at 64f\

We had observed, that the sand-drifls, extending
along all that part of the river we had passed in the
three last weeks, were piled almost exclusively al(Hig
the northern bank. The country we were now pass-
ing is too fertile, and too closely covered with vege-
tation^ to admit the drifting of the sand, except
from the uncovered bed of the river ; yet along the
northern side of the valley we frequently saw naked
piles of-tsand, which had been wafted to considerable
distance by the winds. From the position of these
sand-banks, as well as from our experience, we were
induced to believe, that the high winds of this region
are mostly from the south, at least during the dry
season.

We left our encampment at half-past five in the
morning, and followed the river ; the ag^egate of
our courses for the day was about east, and the dis-
tance twenty-one miles. Our last course led us out
of the river valley, and for a few miles lay across the
open plain. Here we passed a large and uncom-
monly beautiflil village of the prairie marmots, co-
vering an area of about a mile square, having a smooth
surface, and sloping almost imperceptibly towards the
east. The grass which covers this plain is fine, thick,
and close ted. As we approached the village, it
happened to be covered with a herd of some thou-
sands of bisons ; on the left were a number of wild
horses, and immediately before us twenty or thirty
antelopes, and about half as many deer. A» it was
near sunset the light fell obliquely upon the grass,
giving an additional brilliancy to its dark verdure.

11

The little inhabitants of the village were seen run-
ning playfully about in all directions, and as we ap-
proached they perched themselves on their burrows,
and proclaimed theu* terror in the customary note of
alarm. A scene of this kind comprises most of what
is beautiful and interesting to the passing traveller in
the wide unvaried plains of the Missouri and Arkansa.

In the course of the day we passed two large creeks,
one entering from the south, the other from the
north ; also several springs on the south side at the
base of a rocky hill, rising abruptly from the bed of
the river; but notwithstanding all these tributaiy
supplies, no running water appeared above the sands
of the river bed.

We passed great numbers of carcasses of bisons re-
cently slaughtered, and the air was darkened by
flights of carrion birds, among which we distinguishea
the obscene vulture aura, and the vulture atrata, the
black vulture of the Southern States. From the great
number of carcasses and skeletons, we were induced
to believe ourselves on the hunting ground of some
nation of Indians, and our expectations of seeing the
Pawnees of Red river began to revive. Our hunters
killed two fine bucks, both in uncommonly good con-
dition for the season. The fat on the ribs of either
of them was more than an inch thick. They were
both changing their hair to what is called the bluef
which at this season is a sure indication that the
animal is in good condition.

August 29th. Finding the valley of the river som^
what contracted in width and extremely circuitous,
we ascended into the open country on tlie north side,
and made our way across the hills, taking a course a
little south of east. At the distance of a mile or two
from the river we enjoyed a delightful view of the
elevated country, beautifully varied with gentle hills,
broad vallies, fertile pastures, and extensive wood-
lands. The soil we found superior, the timber more
abundant than that of any region we had passed since

12

we left the Missouri. Extensive forests appeared in
the distant horizon^ and the prairies in every direc-
tion intersected by creeks and ravines, distinguished
by lines of trees. The surface of the country is un-
dulating) very similar to that of Grand river and the
lower part of the Missouri, but the soil is more fertile.
The first elevations rise from forty to fifty feet above
the bed of the river, and these are succeeded by
others, ascending by an almost imperceptible slope
towards the interior. Among the trees on the uplands
are the black cherry, the linden, and the honey
locust, all affording indications of a fertile soil.

A little before we halted to dine, Adams, our
interpreter of Spanish, having dropped some article
of baggage, returned on the 'track for the purpose of
recovering it; and as he did not join us again, we con-
cluded he must have missed his way.

At evening we returned to the valley of the river,
and placed our camp under a small cotton- wood tree,
upon one of whose branches a swarm of bees were
hanging. These useful insects reminded us of the
comforts and luxuries of a life among men, and at
the same time gave us the assurance that we were
drawing near the abodes of civilization. Bees, it is
said by the hunters and the Indians, are rarely if ever
seen more than two hundred and fifty or three hun-
dred miles in advance of the white settlements.

On receiving the first intimation of the absence of
Adams, who had been following in the rear of the

Earty, a man was sent back to search for and bring
im to our encampment; but as he could not be found,
we concluded he had missed our trail, and probably
igone forward. We were confirmed in this belief
when, on the following morning, we discovered the
track of a solitary mule which had passed down along
the bed of the river. This we accordingly followed,
not doubting but Adams must soon perceive he had

Eassed us, and would wait until we should overtake
im.

is

ITie loose soft sands of the river-bed yielding to
our horses feet, made the travelling extremely labo-
rious ; and the intense reflection of the rays of the
sun almost deprived us of the use of our eyes.
Mr. Peale*s horse soon became unable to proceed at
an equal pace with the remainder of the party ; but
as no suitable place for encampment appeared, he
dismounted, and by great exertions was able to urge
his animal along in the rear. The travelling in the
bed of the river became so extremely inconvenient,
that we resolved upon attempting to penetrate the
thick woods of the bottom, and ascend to the open
plains. We found, however, the woods so thick, and
so interlined with scandent species of smilax cissus,
and other climbing vines, as greatly to retard our
progress, and we were soon induced to wish our*
selves again upon the naked sands. Notwithstand*
ing the annoyance they gave us, we took a pleasure
in observing the three American species of cissus grow-
ing almost side by side. The cLssus quinquefolia •,
the common woodbine, cultivated as an ornament
about yards and summer-houses, grows here to an enor-
mous size, and, as well as the cissus h^deracea, seems
to prefer climbing on el ms. The remaining species, the
cissus bipinnata, is a smaller plant, and, though much
branched, is rarely scandent. All of them abound in
ripe fruit, which, notwithstanding its external resem-
blance and its close affinity to the grape, is nauseous
to the taste, and does not appear to be sought with
avidity even by the bears. In ascending the hills, we
found them based upon a variety of sandstone, unlike
the red rock of the salt formation, to which we had
been so long accustomed. With this change a cor-
responding change takes place in the conformation
of the surface and the general aspect of the country*
The hills are higher and more abrupt, the forests
more extensive, the streams of water more copious

* Arapelopsis quinquefolia of Michaux.

u

and more serpentine in their direction ; in other
words, we here begin to recognize the features of a
mountainous region. The sandstone which appears
in the beds of the streams, and the sides of the hills^
is coarse and hard, of a dark gray colour, and a ho-
rizontally laminated structure. It is deeply covered
with a soil of considerable fertility, sustaining heavy
forests of oak.- Among these trees the upland white
oak is common, but is of rather diminutive size, and
often hollow. In a tree of this description we ob-
served, as w_e passed, the habitation oi a swarm of
bees, and as it was not convenient at that time to
stop, we fixed a mark upon it, and proceeded to
make the best of our w^ towards the river. On de-
scending the hills, we found the valley of the river
much contracted in width, and the bed itself occupy-
ing less space by half than where we had left it
above.

On the following day the party remained en-
camped to take observations, and atford an opportu-
nity for rest to the horses. Some of the men went
back about six miles to the bee-tre% we had passed
on the preceding day, and brought in a small quan-
tity of honey enclosed in the skin of a deer recently
killed. About our camp we examined several lodges
of sandstone, of the coarse dark grey variety above
mentioned; in some instances we found it nearly
approaching in character the glittering crystalline
variety of uie lead mines, but we sought in vain for
an opportunity to observe the manner of its con-
nexion with red sandstone.

As we were now at the western base of that in-
teresting group of hills, to which we have attempted
to give the name of the almost extinct tribe of the
Osarks, and as we believed ourselves near the extreme
southern bend of the river we were descending, we
thought it important to ascertain our latitude and
longitude by as complete sets of observations as
was in our power to make ; and this the favourable

position of the moon enabled us to do in the most
satisfactory manner. The results will be seen on the
map.

During the extreme heat of the day the mercury
stood at 99* in a fair exposure. This extraordinary
degree of heat may have been in some degree con*
nected with the stagnation of the air between the
hills, and possibly with the reverberation of the
sun's rays from the naked sands; but the instru*
ment was one of an approved character, and was
exposed in the deep shade of an extensive grove of
trees.

As yet no running water appeared in the river ;
but as the pools were large, and' some of them little
frequented by the bisons, we were no longer under
the necessity of digging.

September 1st. The sycamore, the sesculus, the
mistletoe, and the paroquet, are conspicuous objects
in the deep and heavy forests of the Ohio and Missis-
sippi; with these we now found ourselves surrounded*
Bisons were comparatively scarce along this pajt of
the river, but whether this was owing to the near
approach of inhabited countries, or to the great ex-
tent and almost impenetrable density of the forests
on each side of the river, we were unable to deter*
mine ; at night we still heard the growling of the
herds in the distant prairies, and occasionally saw
bisons in small bodies crossing the river.

The Kaskaia Indians had told us, that before we ar«
rived at the village of the Pawnee Piquas, we should
pass a range of blue hills. These we concluded could
be no other than hills whose sides were covered with
forests, like those we were now passing, and ac«
COTdingly we watched with some anxiety for the
appearance of something which should indicate the
vicinity of an Indian village. As we pursued our
way along the serpentine bed of the river, the valley
became narrower, the hLQs more elevated^ and as we
crossejd the rocky points of their bases^ we could not

16

but observe that the sandstone was of a different
character from any we had before seen. It contains
more mica than that of the AUeghanies, or that of the
secondary hills along the base of the Rocky Moun-
tains ; it glitters conspicuously, like mica-slate when
seen in the sunshine ; and this, as we found by ex-
amination, does not depend entirely on the great
proportion of mica it contains, but also in some
degree upon the crystalline surfaces of the minute
particles. Its cement is often argillaceous, and this,
as well as the impressions of some organic relics *
we observed in it, induced us to expect the occur-
rence of coal-beds.

On ascending the hills from the place of our mid-
day encampment, we found this sandstone at an
elevation of about two hundred feet (according to
our estimate) from the bed of the river, succeeded
by a stratum of limestone of the common compact
blue variety, abounding incast»of anomias, entrochi,
&c. This rests horizontally upon the summits of the
hills^ and disintegrating less rapidly than the sand-
stone which forms their bases, it is sometimes left
projecting in such a manner as to render access im-
possible. Climbing to the summit of some of the
nills near the river, we had the view towards the
south and east of a wild and mountainous region,
covered with forests, where, among the brighter ver-
dure of the oak, the nyssa, and the castanea pumila,
we distinguished the darker shade of the juniper, and
others of the coniferae.

A little before arriving at the place of our evening
encampment, we observed the track of a man who
had passed on foot, and with bare feet, down the
river. This we were confident could be no other
than the track of our lost interpreter Adams. What
accident could have deprived him of his mule we

* StrObilaria of Nuttall, belonging to the heteromorphdus genus
pliytoUthus of Martin.

17

were at a loss to conjecture. We found it equally
difficult to account for his pushing forward with
such perseverance, when he must have had every
reason to believe we were behind him.

September 2d. The morning was fair, and we had
commenced our journey by sunrise. At a little dis-
tance below our encampment, we passed the mouth
of a large tributary from the south- It was about
sixty yards wide, and appeared to contain a consider-
able quantity of water, which was absorbed in the sands
immediately at its junction with the larger stream.
About the mouth of this creek we saw the remains
of several gar-fish Cesox osseus) ; this fish is protected
by a skin so flinty and incorruptible, as to be invul-
nerable to the attacks of birds and beasts of prey ;
and even when the internal soft parts have been dis-
solved and removed by the progress of putrefaction,
the bony cuticle retains its original shape, like that of
the trunk and limbs of the canoe birch, after the wood
lias rotted away. The gar is usually found in deep
water, lying concealed in the places where small fish
resort, and seizing them between his elongated jaws,
which are armed with numerous small and sharp
teeth. This fi«h, though not held in high estimation
as an article of food, is little inferior, as we have often
found by experiment, to the boasted sturgeon of the
Hudson. Its unsightly aspect produces a prejudice
against it ; and in countries of such abundance as
those watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries, a
creature so disgusting in appearance and of so unpro-
mising a name is rarely eaten. We had passed the
creek above mentioned about a mile, when we dis-
covered a little column of smoke ascending among
some scattered oaks on the right hand bank of the
river ; approaching the spot, we perceived our lost
interpreter, who had parted from us five days previ-
ous, sitting a few feet in advance of his fire. When
we dis(!Overed him, his appearance was peculiarly
striking, and indicative of the deepest despondency.

VOL III. c

18

He had kindled a fire upon a little rocky eminence
projecting to the verge of the river, and seated him*
sell near it on the ground, with his face turned up
the river, as if in expectation of relief from that quar-
ter. His elbows rested upon his knees, and his hands
supported his head. Having sat in long expectation
of seeing us, he had fallen asleep ; and on being waked,
it was some minutes before he recovered entire self-

Eossession and consciousness. His long sun-burnt
air hung loosely about a face it could scarcely be
said to shade, and on which famine and terror had
imprinted a frightful expression of ghastliness. Per-
haps some consciousness of having acted an impru-
dent and reprehensible part, prevented any demon-
strations of joy he might otherwise have shown at
sight of us. Under the apprehension that accidents of
this kind might occur, it had repeatedly been en-
joined upon all of the party, never to lose sight of
the main body when on the march. But on this oc-
casion no regard was paid to this necessary regulation.
From his statement we learned, that after separate
ing from us, on the morning of the 29th August, he
had returned a mile or two to search for his canteen ;
but not finding it, in his hurry to rejoin the party, he
had missed the trail, and presently found himself be-
wildered. Taking the bed of the river as his guide,
he urged on his mule, without allowing it time to rest
or to feed, till, on the third day, it refused to proceed,
and was left. He then took his baggage, musket, &c.
and pushed forward on foot, evidently with the hope
of arriving at the Pawnee village, but by the end of
the day found his strength so exhausted that he could
go no farther, and was compelled to encamp. Having
expended his ammunition in unsuccessful attempts to
shoot turkies, he had been trying to make a substi-
tute for fish-hooks by bending up some needles j but
this project he had not brought to perfection, and
assured us he had not tasted food since the breakfast
of the 29th, a period of more than five days.

19

The smalUeaved and the white elm*, tlie nettles-
tree or hackberry, the cotton-wood, mulberry, black
walnut, pecan, ash, sycamore, and indeed most of l^e
trees common to the low grouiujs of the Mississippi^
are intermixed here to form the dense forests of tlie
river valley, while, in the more scattered woods of
the highlands, the prevailing growth is oak, with
some species of nyssa, the dyospiros, and a few other
small trees. At evening a lai'ge flock of white peU"
cans passed us on their way up the river.

On the morning of the 3d, not having been able to
select a suitable place for a Sunday encampment, we
moved on, searching for a supply of grass, that we
might halt for the day. The hunters preceded the
party, and meeting with a herd of bisons and good
pasturage in the same place, they killed a bull of ^
most gigantic stature, and waited until the remainder
of the party came up, and encamped near the carcajss.
We have often regretted that we liad not taken the
dimensions of this animal, as it appeared to surp^$
in size any we had before killed, and greatly to ex-
ceed the ordinary stature of the bison.

Having arranged our camp, and done in the way
of washing, dressing, &c. the little in our power to
do, we made an excursion into the adjoining forest
to collect plants, and to search for honey, which, from
the great number of bees we had seen, we were con^-
scious must be abundant. Since leaving the Qpea
country, we had remarked a very great change in
ttie vegetation. The dense shade, and perhaps th/s
somewhat confined air of the Ibre&t, are unfavourable
to the growth of many of those grasses, and those
robust perennials, which seem to delight in the arid
soils and the scorching winds of the sandy deserts.
The sensitive (cassia nictitans), the favourite food
of the bees, some species of hedysg^rum, and a few

* Ulmus americana and ulmus alata.

c 2

20

other legumina, are, however, common to both re-
gions.

Our search for bee-trees was unsuccessful ; but in
our way we saw great numbers of gray squirrels,
and killed a fat buck, one of whose quarters we
found a heavy load to carry a mile or two to our
camp.

A considerable part of the day we spent in unavail-
ing contest with the ticks. The torment of their
stings increased upon us if we were a moment idle,
or attempted to rest ourselves under the shadow of a
tree. We considered ourselves peculiarly fortunate
when we could find the shade of a tree extending
some distance on to the naked sands of the river-bed,
for then the ticks were less numerous. In the middle
of the day the mercury again rose to 97 , and the
blowing flies swarmed in such numbers about our
blankets and clothing as to allow us no rest.

About the pools near our camp we saw the little
white egret ; the snowy heron had been common for
some days. Great numbers of cranes, ducks, pelicans,
and other aquatic birds, induced us to believe that
larger bodies of water than we had recently seen must
be near.

Bears and wolves were still frequent ; among the
latter we observed a black one of a small size, which
we believed to be specifically different from any one
of those we had seen above. All our attempts to cap^
ture this watchful animal were without success. Since
entering the region of forests, we had found the
number of small animals, birds, and insects consider-
ably increased. An enormous black hairy spider,
resembling the mygale avicularia of South America,
was often seen ; and it was not without shuddering
that we sometimes perceived this formidable insect
looking out from his hole within a few feet of the
spot on which we had thrown ourselves down to
rest.

21

On the 4th we met with nothing interesting except
the appearance of running water in the bed of the river.
Since the 13th of the preceding month, we had
travelled constantly along the river, and in all the
distance passed in that time, which could not have
been less than five hundred miles, we had seen run-
ning water in the river in one or two instances only,
and in those it had evidently been occasioned by re-
cent rains, and had extended but a mile or two, when
it disappeared.

c 3

32

CHAPTER II.

08AG£ ORANGE. — filRDS. — FALLS OF TOE CANADIAN* ^-
GK£BN argillaceous sandstone. — NORTHERN AND
SOUTHERN TRIBUTARIES OF THE CANADIAN. — COTTON-
WOOD. ARRIVAL AT THE ARKANSA. CANE BRAKES.

CHEROKEES. — BELLE POINT.

September 5th. The region we were now traversing
is one of great fertility, and we had daily occasion to
regret that our visit to it had not been made earlier in
the season. Many unknown plants were observed, but
their flowering season having passed, the fruit of many
of them have ripened and fallen, we were deprived of
the means of ascertaining the name and place of such
as had been heretofore described, and of describing
such as were new. We had, however, the satisfaction
to recognize some interesting productions, among
which we may enumerate a very beautiful species of
bignonia, and the bow-wood or osage orange. [2]
The rocky hills abound in trees of a small size, and
the cedars are sometimes so numerous, as to give
their peculiar and gloomy colouring to the landscape.
We listened as we rode forward to the note of a bird,
new to some of us, and bearing a singular resem-
blance to the noise of a child's toy trumpet ; this we
soon found to be the cry of the great ivory-billed
wood-pecker (picus principalis), the largest of the
North American species, and confined to the warmer
parts. The picus pileatus we had seen on the 25th
of August, more than one hundred miles above, and
this with the picus erythrocephalus were now common,
Turkies were very numerous. The paroquet, chuck-
wills-widow, wood-robin, mocking bird, and many
other small birds, filled the woods with life and music.

as

The bald eagle, the turkey buzzard, and black vul-
ture, raven and crow, were seen swarming like the
blowing flies about any spot where a bison, an elk, or
a deer had fallen a prey to the hunter. About the
river were large flocks of pelicans, with numbers of
snowy herons, and the beautiful ardea egretta.

Soon after we had commenced our morning ride,
we heard the report of a gun at the distance of a
mile, as we thought, on our left ; this was distinctly
heard by several of the party, and induced us to be-
lieve that white hunters were in the neighbour-
hood. We had recently seen great numbers of elk,
and killed one or two, which we had found in bad
condition.

September 6th. Numerous ridges of rocky hills
traverse the country from north-east to soutn-west,
crossing the direction of the river obliquely. They
are of a sandstone, which bears suflBcient evidence of
belonging to a coal formation. At the spot where we
halted to dine, one of these ranges, crossing the river,
produces an inconsiderable fall. As the whole width
of the channel is paved with a compact horizontal
sandstone, we believed all the water of the river must
be forced into view, and were a little surprised to
find the quantity something less than it had been
almost six hundred miles above in the same stream.
It would appear, that all the water which falls in rains
or flows from springs in an extent of country larger
than Pennsylvania, is not sufficient to supply the
evaporation of so extensive a surface of naked and
heated sands.

If the river of which we speak should at any
season of the year contain water enough for the pur*
poses of navigation, it is probable the fall occasioned
by the rocky traverse above mentioned will be suffi-
cient to prevent the passage upwards. The point is
a remarkable one, as being the locality of a rare and
beautiful variety of sandstone. The rock which
appears in the bed of the river is a compact slaty

c 4

24

sandstone, of a deep green colour, resembling some
varieties of chloritic slate.

Whether the colour depends upon epidote chlo-
rite, or some other substance, we were not able to
determine. The sandstone is micaceous, but the
particles of mica, as well as those of the other inte-
grant minerals, are very minutely divided. The same
rock, as we found by tracing it to some distance, be-
comes of a light grey colour, and contains extensive
beds of bituminous clay-slate. Its stratifications are
so little inclined, that their dip cannot be estimated
by the eye.

This point, though scarce deserving the name of
a cataract, is so marked by the occurrence of a pecu-
liar bed, or rocks crossing the river, and by the rapid
descent of the current, that it may be readily recog-
nized by any who shall pass that way hereafter. In
this view we attach some importance to it, as the only
spot in a distance of six hundred miles we can hope to
identify by description. In ascending, when the tra-
veller arrives at this point, he has little to expect
beyond, but sandy wastes and thirsty inhospitable
steppes. The skirts of the hilly and wooded region
extend to a distance of fifty or sixty miles above, but
even this district is indiilerently supplied with water.
Beyond commences the wide sandy desert, stretch-
ing westward to the base of the Rocky Mountains.
We have little apprehension of giving too unfavour-
ablean account of this portion of thecountry. Though
the soil is in some places fertile, the want of timber,
of navigable streams, and of water for the necessities
of life, render it an unfit residence for any but a no-
made population. The traveller who shall at any
time have traversed its desolate sands, will, we think,
join us in the wish that this region may for ever re-
main the unmolested haunt of the native hunter, the
bison, and thejackall.

One mile below this point (which we call the Falls
or the Canadian, rather for the sake of a name than

25

as considering it worthy to be thus designated), is the
entrance, from the south, of a river fifty yards wide-
Its banks are lined with tall forests of cotton-wood
and sycamore, and its bottoms are wide and fertile.
Its bed is less choked with sand than that of the
river to which it is tributary. Six or eight miles
farther down, and on the other side, is the confluence
of the Great North Fork, discharging at least three
times as much water as we found at the falls above
mentioned. It is about eighty yards wide. The beds
of both these tributaries are covered with water from
shore to shore, but they have gentle currents, and are
not deep, and neither of them have in any consider-
able degree that red tinge which characterizes the
Canadian, We have already mentioned, that what
we consider the sources of the North Fork are situ-
ated in the floetz trap country, nearly opposite those
of the Purgatory Creek of the Arkansa, Of one of
its northern tributaries we have received some in-
formation from the recent work of Mr.Nuttall, who
crossed it in his journey to the Great Salt river of
Arkansa in 1819.* "Still proceeding," says he,
a little to the north of west, about ten miles further,
we came to a considerable rivulet of clear and still
water, deep enough to swim our horses. This
stream was called the Little North Fork (or Branch)
of the Canadian, and emptied into the main North
Fork of the same river, nearly 200 miles distant,
including its meanders, which had been ascended
by the trappers of beaver.'* From his account it
appears that the banks of this stream are wooded,
and that the " superincumbent rock** is a sandstone,
not of the red formation, but probably belonging to
a coal district.

Its water, like that of the Arkansa, and its northern
tributaries, when not swelled by rains, is of a greenish

* Journal of Travels into the Arkansa Territory, by Thomas
Nuttall, &c. page 200.

26

colour. This colouring is sometimes so intense in
the rivers of this region as to suggest the idea that
the water is filled with minute confervas or other float-
ing plants, but when we see it by transmitted light,
as when a portion of it is held in a glass vessel, the
colour disappears.

Three and a half miles below the confluence of
the North Fork is a remarkable rock, standing isolated
in the middle of the river, like the Grand Tower in
the Mississippi. . It is about twenty-five feet high,
and fifty or sixty in diameter, and its sides so per-
pendicular as to render the summit inaccessible. It
appears to have been broken from a high promontory
of gray sandstone overhanging the river on the north
side.

Not being able to find grass for pasture, we rode
later than usual, and were finally compelled to en-
camp on a sandy beach, which afforded nothing but
rushes for our horses.

September 8th. The quantity of water in the river
had now become so considerable as to impede our
descent along the bed ; but the valley was narrow,
and so filled with close and entangled forests, and
the uplands so broken and rugged, that no other path
appeared to remain for us. We therefore continued
to make our way, though with great difficulty, and
found our horses much incommoded by being kept
almost constantly in the water, as we were compelled
to do to cross from the point of a sand-bar on one
side the river, to the next on the other. Quicksands
also occurred, and in places where we least expected
it, our horses and ourselves were thrown to the
earth without a moment's notice. These sudden
falls^ occasioned by sinking in the sand, and the
subsequent exertion necessary to extricate them-
selves, proved extremely harassing to our jaded
horses, and we had reason to fear that these faith-
ful servants would fail us almost at the end of our
journey.

27

Above the falls, the width of the river, that is of
the space included between its two banks, varies
from three hundred yards to two miles ; below
it is uniformly narrower, scarce exceeding four
hundred yards* The beaches are sloping, and
often covered with young cotton-wood or willow
trees. In the Missouri, Mississippi, and to some
extent in the Arkansa and its tributaries, the islands,
sand-bars, and even the banks, are constantly shifting
place. In the progress of these changes, the young
willows and cotton-wood trees which spring up where^
ever a naked beach is exposed, may be supposed to
have some agency, by confining the soil with their
roots, and arresting the dirt and rubbish in times of
high water. On the Missouri, the first growth which
springs up in these places, is so commonly the willow,
that the expressions "willow-bar" and "willow-
island** have passed into the language of the boat-
men, and communicate the definite idea of a bar, or
an island recently risen from the water. These
willows beconie intermixed with the cotton-wood,
and these trees are often almost the exclusive oc-
cupants of extensive portions of the low grounds.
The foliage of the most common species of willow
(S. angustata) is of a light green colour, and, when
seen under certain angles, of a silvery gray, contrast-
ing beautifully with the intense and vivid green of
cotton-wood. [3] Within a few yards of the spot
where we halted to dine, we were so fortunate as to
find a small log canoe made fast on shore. From its
appeai'ance we were assured it had been some months
deserted by its rightful owner; and from the necessity
of our situation, thought ourselves justified in seizing
and converting it to our use. Our pack-horses had
become much weakened, and reduced by long fatigue ;
and in crossing the river, as we had often to do, we
felt that our collections, the only valuable. part of
our baggage, were constantly exposed to the risk
of being wetted. We accordingly made prize of the

28

canoe, and putting on board our packs and heavy
baggage, manned it with two men, designing that they
should navigate it down to the settlements. Aside
from this canoe, we discovered in the adjoining woods
the remains of an old camp, which we perceived had
been occupied by white men, and saw other convinc-
ing proofs that we were coming near some inhabited
country.

We halted at evening in a small prairie on the north
side of the river, the first we had seen for some time.
The diflBculties of navigation, arising from the shallow-
ncvss of the water, prevented the arrival of the canoe
and baggage until a late hour. The men had been
compelled to wade a great part of the way, and drag
the canoe over the sand.

September 9th. We had proceeded a mile or two
from our encampment, when we discovered a herd of
twenty or thirty elk, some standing in the water, and
some lying upon the sand-beach, at no great distance
before us. The hunters went forward, and singling
out one of the finest bucks, fired upon him, at which
the whole herd plunged into the thicket, and disap-
peared instantly. We had, however, too much con-
fidence in the skill of the hunter to doubt but his
shot had been fatal^ and several of the party dis-
mounting, pursued the herd into the woods, where
they soon overtook the wounded buck. The noble
animal, finding his pursuers at his heels, turned upon
the foremost, who saved himself by springing into a
thicket which the elk could not penetrate, but in
which he soon became entangled by his enormous ant-
lers, and fell an easy victim. His head was enveloped
in such a quantity of cissus smilax and other twining
vines, that scarce the tips of his horns could be seen ;
thus blind-folded, he stood until most of those who
had followed into the woods had discharged their
pieces, and did not finally yield up his life until he
was stabbed to the heart with a knife. He was found
in excellent condition, having more than two inches^

29

of fat on the brisket. The meat was carried to the
river, and deposited on a projecting point of rocks,
with a note addressed to the men who were behind
with the canoe, directing them to add this suppJy of
provisions to their cargo.

At this point, and again at an inconsiderable dis-
tance below, a soft green slaty sandstone forms the
bed of the river, and occasions a succession of rapids.
At noon an observation by the meridian altitude of
the sun's lower limb gave us 35" 30', as an approxima-
tion to our latitude. This was much greater than we
had anticipated from the position assigned to Red
river on the maps, and tending to confirm the un-
pleasant fears we had entertained of having mistaken
some tributary of the Arkansa for the Red river.

Thick and extensive cane brakes occurred on both
sides of the river, and though the bottoms were wide
and covered with heavy forests, we could see at in-
tervals the distant sandstone hills, with their scattered
forests of cedar and oak.

September 10th. We left our camp at the usual hour,
and after riding eight or ten miles, arrived at the con-
fluence of our supposed Red river with another of
a much greater size, which we at once perceived to
be the Arkansa. Our disappointment and chagrin at
discovering the mistake we had so long laboured
under, was little alleviated by the consciousness that
the season was so fkr advanced, our horses and our
means so far exhausted, as to place it beyond our
power to return and attempt the discovery of the
sources of Red river. We had been misled by
some little reliance on the maps, and the current
statements concerning the position of the upper
branches of Red river, and more particularly by the
confident assurance we had received from the Kaskaia
Indians, whom we did not suspect of a wish to de-
ceive us in an affair of such indifference to them.
Knowing there was a degree of ambiguity and con-
fusion in the nomenclature of the rivers, we had in-

30

sisted particularly cm being informed, whether the
river we were descending was the one on which the
Pawnee Piquas had their permanent residence, and
this we were repeatedly assured was the case*
Several other circumstances, which have been already
mentioned, led us to the commission of this unfortu-
nate mistake.

According to our estimate of distances on our
courses, it is seven hundred and ninety-six and a half
miles from the point where we first struck the Cana-
dian to its confluence with the Arkansa. If we make
a reasonable allowance for the meanders of the river,
and for the extension of its upper branches some dis-
tance to the west of the place where we commenced
our descent, the entire length of the Canadian will
appear to be about one thousand miles. Our journey
upon it had occupied a space of seven weeks, travel-
ling with the utmost diligence the strength of our
horses would permit.

On arriving at the Arkansa, we waited a short time
for our canoe, in which we crossed our heavy bag-
gage, and then swimming our horses, we ascended
tixe bank in search of a place to encamp, but soon
found ourselves surrounded by a dense almost impe-
netrable cane brake, where no vestige of a path could
be found. In this dilemma, no alternative remained,
but to force our way forward by the most laborious
eocertions. The canes were of large size, and stood
to close together that a horse could not move forward
the length of his body without breaking by main fcwrce
a great number of them. Making our way with exces-
sive toil among these gigantic gramina, our party
might be said to resemble a company of rats travers-
i»g a sturdy field of grass. The cape stalks, after
being trod to the earth, often inflicted, in virtue of
their elasticity, blows as severe as they weie unex-
pected. It is not to be supposed our horses alone felt
tihte inconvenience of this sort of travelling. We re-
ceived fi^quent blows and bruises on all parts of our

14

31

bodies, had our sweaty faces and hands scratched by
the rough leaves of the cane, and oftentimes, as our
attention was otherwise directed, we caught with our
feet and dragged across our shins the flexible and
spiny stalks of the green briar.

This most harassing ride we commenced at eleven
in the morning, and continued without a moment's
intermission till sunset, when finding we were not
about to extricate ourselves, we returned near a mile
and a half on our track, to a spot where we had passed
a piece of open woods large enough to spread our
blankets on. Here we laid ourselves down at dark,
much exhausted by our day's journey.

Our fatigue was sufficient to overcome the irrita-
tion of the ticks, and we slept soundly until about
midnight, when we were awakened by the com-
mencement of a heavy fall of rain, from which, as we
had not been able to set up our tent, we had no
shelter.

On the following morning, after several hours
spent in most laborious travelling, like that of the
preceding day, we found ourselves emerging from
the river bottom, and^ to our great satisfaction, ex-
changing the cane brakes for open woods. At the
foot of the hill lay a deep morass, covered with the
nelumbo and other aquatic plants. It had probably
been the former bed of the Arkansa. Observing
water in some part of it, several of the party
attempted to penetrate to it to drink, but the quak-
ing bog was found so deep and soft as to be wholly
impassable.

After ascending the hills we pursued our course
nearly due north, through open woods of oak and
nyssa, until we reached the prairie, and soon after
discovered a large and frequented path, which we
knew could be no other than that leading to Fort
Smith. On emerging from the low grounds we had
no longer the prospect of boundless and monotonous
plains. We were in a region of mountains and forests,

32

interspersed with open plains, but these were of
limited extent.

September 12th. We resumed our journey at
sunrise. The weather was cool, and the morning
fair. The wide and densely-wooded valley of the
Arkansa lay on our route. The course of the river
was marked by a long and undulating line of mist,
brightening in the beams of the rising sun ; beyond
rose the blue summits of the Point Lucre and Cava-
niol mountains, " in the clear light above the dews
of morn/* Though the region about us had all the
characters of a mountain district, we could discover
little uniformity in the direction of the ranges. The
Cavaniol and Point Lucre mountains are situated on
opposite sides of the Pofeau, above the confluence of
James's Fork, and are part of low ridges running
from S.W. to N. E. On the north side of the
Arkansa is a ridge of considerable elevation, nearly
parallel in direction to the aggregate course of the
river.

In the path we were travelling we observed tracks
indicating that men on horseback had recently passed,
and in the course of the morning we met a party of
six or eight Indians, who informed us they were of
the Cherokee nation ; that we should be able to
arrive at the military post at Belle Point on the
following morning. They were on horseback, carry-
ing guns, kettles, and other articles suited to a hunt-
ing excursion, which it was their purpose to make in
the territory of the Osages; one or two of them had on
round hats ; all had calico shirts, or some other article
of foreign fabric, as part of their dress ; and all had a
mean and squalid appearance, indicating that they
had been in habits of frequent intercourse with the
whites. They were unable to speak or understand
our language, but communicated with considerable
ease by means of signs.

At eleven o'clock we halted, and as our provisions
were nearly exhausted, most of the party went out to

S3

hunt, but were not fortunate in meeting game. We
found, however, some papaw trees with ripe fruit of
an uncommon size and delicious flavor, with which
we were able to allay our hunger. The papaw tree
attains a much larger size, and the fruit arrives at
greater perfection, in the low grounds of the Arkansa,
than on the Missouri, Ohio, and Upper Mississippi^
where it is also common. The papaws fall to the
ground as soon as fully ripe, and are eagerly sought
after by the bears, raccoons, oppossum, &c.

In the afternoon one of our mules failed so far
that the undivided attention and the most active ex-
ertions of two men were required to keep him
moving at the rate of a slow walk. This made it
necessary we should encamp, and. we accordingly
selected a spot in a fine open grove of oaks, where we
pitched our tent. Among other interesting plants
we collected here the beautiful vexillaria • virginica
of Eaton, which has the largest flower of any of the
legumina of the United States, as is remarked by
Mr. Nuttall. We saw also the menispermum lyoni,
hieracium marianum, rhexia virginica. As we en-
camped at an early hour, the party dispersed in several
directions in search of game. Nothing was found except
a swarm of bees, affording as much honey as we chose
to eat for supper. While engaged in felling the tree we
heard guns discharged at a distance, and by sending
persons to examine, learned they were those of a
party of men accompanying Mr. Robert Glen on his
way from Fort Smith to me trading-house at the
mouth of the Verdigrise. In the evening we received
a visit from Mr.G., whose camp was distant only
about a mile from ours. He was the first white man
not of our own party whom we had seen since the 6th of

* We have adopted this name from the. author of the " Manual
of Botany," as a substitute for that of the 1712 genera of Persoon,
which has been so severely censured by President Smith in Rees*s
Cyclopedia. It is equally appropriate with the old name, and con-
tains no offensive allusion.

VOL. III. D

34

the preceding June. From him we received a highly
acceptable present of coffee, biscuits, a bottle of

E* Its, &c« ; also the welcome intdligence that
tain Bell, with his division of the exploring party,
arrived at Fort Smith some days previous.
Early on the 13th we took up our march in a heavy
fall of rain, which continued until we arrived at the
little plantation opposite Belle Point Here we
emerged from the deep silence and twilight gloom of
the forest, and found ourselves once more surrounded
by the works of men. The plantation consisted of
a single enclosure, covered with a thick crop of maize,
intermixed with gigantic stalks of the phytolacca
decandria and ricinus palma christi ; forming a forest
of annual plants, which seemed almost to vie with
miegias and annonas occupying the adjacent portions
of tne river bottoms. As we followed the winding

Sathway past the little cottage, at the corner of the
eld we were saluted by several large dogs, who
sprang up from the surrounding weeds. Urged by
our impatience to see human faces, we called out to
the people in the cottage to direct us to BeUe Point,
although we knew the path could not be mistaken,
and that we were not ten rods from the ferry. Not-
withstanding our inquiries might have been thought
impertinent, we were very civilly answered by a
young woman, who came to the door, and attempted
to silence the clamours of the dogs. We were not
surprised to find our uncouth appearance a matter of
astonishment both to dogs and men.

On arriving at the beach opposite Fort Smith,
and making known our arrival by the discharge of a
pistol, we perceived the inhabitants of the garrison
and our former companions coming down to the ferry
to give us welcome ; and being soon carried over, we
met from Major Bradford and Captain Ballard a most
cordial and flattering reception. Captain Bell, with
Mr. Say, Mr, Seymour, and Lieutenant Swift, having
experienced numerous casualties, and achieved

3J

various adventures, having suffered much from hun-
ger, and more from the perfidy of some of theit sol-
diers, had arrived on the 9th, and were all in good
health. The loss most severely felt was that of the
manuscript notes of Mr. Say and Lieutenant Swift.
Measures for the apprehension of the deserters and
the recovery pf these important papers were taken
immediately, and a reward of two hundred dollars
offered. Mr. Glen had kindly volunteered his assist-
ance and his influence to engage the Osages in the
pursuit. But these efforts were unavailing.

We anived at Fort Smith at about nine o'clock,
and were soon afterwards invited to a bountifully
furnished breakfast-table at Major Bradford's. Our
attentive host knowing the caution necessary to be
used by men in our situation, restrained us from a
too unbounded indulgence in the use of bread, sweet
potatoes, and other articles of diet to which we had
been long unaccustomed. The experience of a few
days taught us that it would have been fortunate for
us, if we had given more implicit heed to his caution.

The site of Fort Smith was selected by Major
Long in the fall of I8I7, and called Belle Point, in
allujsion to its peculiar beauty. It occupies a point
of elevated land immediately below the junction of
the Arikansa and the Poteau, a small tributary from
the )5outb-west. Agreeably to the orders of General
Smith, then commanding the ninth military depart-
ment, a plan of the proposed work was submitted to
Major Bradford, at that time and since commandant
at the post, under whose superintendance the works
have been in part completed, not without some de-
viation from the original plan. The buildings now
form two sides of a hollow square, terminated by
strong block-houses at the opposite angles, and front-
ing towards the river.

The hill which forms the basis of the fort is a dark
gray micaceous sandstone in horizontal lamina*, and
is elevated about thirty feet above the water. The

D 2

36

country back of the fort has an undulating surface,
and rises gradually as it recedes, being covered with
heavy forests of oak, tulip tree, sassafras, &c. Towards
the south and south-east, at no great distance, rise the
summits of the mountainous range already men-
tioned. The Sugar-loaf and Cavaniol mountains (the
former being one of a group of these similar conic sum-
mits'), are visible from some points near Fort Smith.
The Poteau, so called by the French from the word
signifying a post or station, rises sixty or seventy
miles south of Belle Point, opposite to the sources
of the Kiamesha, a branch of Red river. Nearly
the whole of its course is through a hilly or mountain-
ous region, but it is one so sparingly supplied with
water, that the Poteau, within two miles of its con-
fluence with the Arkansa, is in the dry season no
more than a trifling brook. In an excursion which
we made from Fort Smith, we ascended the Poteau
about a mile and a half, where we observed an exten-
sive bed of bituminous clay-slate, indicating the neigh-
bourhood of coal. Tracing this slate to the south
and east, we found it to pass under a very consider-
able sandstone hill. Several circumstances induce
us to believe that it is also underlayed by a sand-
stone similar to that at the fort. Attentive exami-
nation will show that these rocks have a slight incli-
nation towards the east ; and if the bituminous slate
in question had been underlayed by compact lime-
stone, as has been conjectured *, it is highly probable
this rock would have emerged near where the sand-
stone appears at Belle Point. We make this remark
because, althou^ we have often seen both limestone
and bituminous clay-slate in various parts of the
Arkansa territory, it has never been our fortune to
meet with them in connexion. A few rods above
this bed of bituminous slate we crossed the Poteau
almost at a single step, and without wetting the soles

* Nuttairs Travels ipto the Arkansa Territory, p. 144.

37

of our mockasins, so inconsiderable was the quantity
of water it contained. The point between the conflu-
ence of the Poteau and the Arkansa is low and fertile
bottom land, and, like that on the opposite side of the
river, covered with dense and heavy forests of cotton-
wood, sycamore, and ash, intermixed with extensive
and impenetrable cane brakes. In these low grounds
the beautiful papaw tree, whose luscious fruit was
now ripe, occurs in great abundance. It rises to the
height of thirty or forty feet, and its trunk is some-
times not less than a foot in diameter.

Grape vines, several scandent species of smilax and
cissus, and a most singular vine allied to menisper-
mum, are so intermixed with the sturdy under growth
as to render the woods almost impassable. Paths
have been opened by the people of the garrison
where they have been found necessary by cutting
away the canes and small trees ; but they may be said
to resemble subterranean passages, to which the rays
of the sun never penetrate. We found the air in
these, and indeed in every part of heavy forests, stag-
nant, and so loaded with the effluvia of decaying
vegetable substances as to be immediately oppressive
to the lungs. After spending an hour or two in an
atmosphere of this kind, we found ourselves percep-
tibly affected with languor and dizziness.

The gardens at Fort Smith afforded green corn,
melons, sweet potatoes, and other esculent veget-
ables, which to us had for a long time been untasted
luxuries. It is probable we did not exercise sufficient
caution in recommencing the use of these articles^
as we soon found our health beginning to become
impaired. We had been a long time confined to a
meat diet, without bread or condiments of any kind,
and were not surprised to find ourselves affected by
so great and so sudden a change. It may be worth
while to remark, that we had been so long unaccus-
tomed to the use of salt, that the sweat of our faces
had lost all perceptible saltness, and that the ordi-

D 3

38

nary dishes which were brought to our mess-table at
the Fort appeared unpalatable, on account of being
too highly seasoned.

In a region of extensive river alluvion^ supporting,
like that of the Arkansa, boundless forests, imper-
vious to the winds, and the rays of the sun, it is
not surprising that a state of the atmosphere should
exist unfavourable to health ; intermitting, remitting,
and continued bilious fevers prevail during the sum-
mer and autumn, and in many instances terminate
fatally. Among recent settlers, the want of the
most common comforts, of the advice and attendance
of skilful physicians, and, above all, the want of
cleanliness^ and the destructive habits of intemper-
ance, are causes operating powerfully to produce
and aggravate these diseases. The settlements about
Fort Smith were sickly, and we saw numbers with
that peculiar sallowness of complexion which accom-
panies those chronic derangements of the functions
of the liver, so often the consequence of bilious
fevers. It is obvious, that the causes of the acknow-
ledged sickliness of the recent settlements in the
south and west, are in a great measure local and
unconnected with the climate ; by the increase of
settlements, and the progress of cultivation, they
will be in part removed.

Fort Smith is garrisoned bygone company of rifle-
men, under the command of Major Bradford.
Among other important designs contemplated in the
establishment of this post, one was to prevent the
encroachments of the white settlers upon the lands
still held W the Indians. Some of the most fertile
portions of*^ the Arkansa territory are those about
the Verdigrise, Skin Bayon, Illinois, Six Bulls, &c.;
in which some unauthorised settlements were hereto-
fore made, but have recently been abandoned, in
compliance with the requirements of the commandant
at Fort Smith.

39

AN ACCOUNT

OP

THE EXPEDITION OF THE DETACHED PARTY

ON THE ARKANSA RIVER. *

CHAPTER III.

TttE PABTY PROCEED UPON THEIR ROUTE. — THUNDER--
STORM. -— SOMB ACCOUNT OF THE KIAWA, KASKAIA, AR-

RAPAHO^ AND SHIENNE INDIANS. NEW SPECIES OF

TOAD.

Monday, 24th, After the departure of so great a
portion of our numbers, combined with whom we
could hardly be regarded as suflSciently powerful to
contend successfully with a force which we were daily
liable to encounter, we were well aware of the neces^
sity of exerting an increased vigUance, and of relying
still more implicitly upon our individual means of
defence, than we had hitherto done. Our small band
now consisted of Captain Bell, Lieut. Swifl, Mr. Sey-
mour, Mr. Say, and the interpreters Bijeaux, Ledoux,
and Julien, with five soldiers.

We were cheered by the reflection, that we had
successfully performed a very considerable and most
important part of our expedition, harmonizing well

* The following six chapters are from the pen of Mr. Sayi

D 4

40

with each other, and unassailed by any urgent visible
dangers, such as had been anticipated by ourselves,
and predicted by others. We could not however
look forward to the trackless desert which still sepa-
rated us from the utmost boundary of civilisation,
and which we had no reason to believe was less than
a thousand miles in breadth, traversed in many por-
tions of its extent by lawless war-parties of various
nations of Indians, without an emotion of anxiety
and of doubt as to the successful termination of our
enterprize.

We were this afternoon assailed by a very severe
thunder-storm, and Julien, who had skirted the tim-
ber for the purpose of hunting, was electrified by a
flash of lightning, which entered the earth within a
few yards of him. The wind was violent, and blew
the drops of rain with so much force into our faces,
that our horses refused to proceed, constantly endea-
vouring to turn themselves about from the storm ;
we at length yielded to their obstinacy, and halted
upon the plain. The storm did not abate until we
were thoroughly drenched to the skin, when, after
being delayed some additional space of time,
until a straggler had joined us, we continued our
journey.

Wednesday, 26th. Late in the afternoon we saw,
at a great distance before us, evident indications
of the proximity of Indians, consisting of conic ele-
vations, or skin lodges, on the edge of the skirting
timber, partially concealed by the foliage of the trees.
On our nearer approach we observed their horses graz-
ing peacefully, but becoming suddenly frightened,
probably by our scent, they all bounded off towards
the camp, which was now full in view. Our atten-
tion was called off from the horses by the appearance
of their masters, who were now seen running to-
wards us with all their swiftness. A minute after-
wards we were surrounded by them, and were happy

41^

to observe in their features and gestures a manifest-:
ation of the most pacific disposition ; they shook U9
by the hand, assured us by signs that they rejoiced
to see us, and invited us to partake of their hospita^
lity. We however replied, that we had brought our
own lodges with us, and would encamp near them.
We selected for this purpose a clear spot of ground
on the bank of the river, intending to remain a day
or two with this little known people, to observe their
manners and way of life. We had scarcely pitched
our tents, watered and staked our horses, before
presents of jerked bison meat were brought to us by
the squaws, consisting of selected pieces, the fattest
and the best, in suflScient quantity for the consump-
tion of two or three days. After the usual ceremony
of smoking, they were informed to what nation we
belonged, and that further communication would be
made to their principal men to-morrow, whom we
wished summoned for that purpose. About sun-
down they all retired, and left us to our r^ose. The
Indians were encamped on both sides of the river,
but the great body of them was on the opposite bank,
their skin lodges extending in a long single line ;
the extremities of which were concealed from our
view by the timber of the islands in the river, whilst
about ten lodges only were erected on the side we
occupied, and within a quarter of a mile of our
camp.

Soon after our arrival, an Indian well stricken in
years inquired if we had seen a man and squaw
within a day or two on our route : we described to
him the appearance of the calf and his squaw. " That
is my wife," said he, " who has eloped from me, and
I will instantly go in pursuit of them." He accord-
ingly procured a companion, and both were soon on
their way, well armed and mounted.

Thursday, 27th. Notice having been sent to the
opposite party of our arrival, and of our wish to see

4S

the principal men, four chiefs presented themselvesr
at our camp this morning at an early hour, as repre-
sentatives of the several bands, of the same number
of different nations, here associated together, and
consisting of Kia was, Kaskaias or Bad-hearts, Shiennes
(sometimes written Chayenne), and Arrapahoes.
Several distinguished men accompanied them. We
had made some little preparation for their reception^
by spreading skins for them to sit on, hoisting our flag,
and selecting a few presents from our scanty stores.
They arranged themselves with due solemnity, and
the pipe being passed around, many of them seemed
to enjoy it as the greatest rarity, eyeing it as it
passed from mouth to mouth, and inhaling its fra-
grant smoke into their lungs with a pleasure which
they could not conceal. One individual of a tall
emaciated frame, whose visage was furrowed with
deep wrinkles, evidently rather the effect of disease
than of age, after filUng his lungs and mouth top-
full of smoke, placed his hands firmly upon his face
and inflated cheeks as in an ecstacy, and unwilling
to part with what yielded the utmost pleasure, he
retained his breath until suffocation compelled him
to drive out the smoke and, inhale fresh air, which
he effected so suddenly and with so much earnestness,
and singular contortion of countenance, that we
restrained ourselves with some effort from commit-
ting the indecorum of a broad laugh. We had the
good fortune to find one of them who could speak the
Pawnee language tolerably well ; he had acquired it
in his early youth^ whilst residing in a state of cap-
tivity in that nation ; so that, by means of our inter-
preters, we experienced no difficulty in acquainting
them, that we belonged to the numerous and power-
ful nation of Americans *, that we had been sent by
our great chief, who presides over all the country, to

* In contradistinction from Spaniards, near whose frontier these
Indians rove.

45

examine that part of his territories, that he might
become acquainted with its features, its produce and
population ; that we had been many moons on our
journey, and had passed through many red nations,
of whose hospitality we largely partook, &c. This
was trasislated into French, then into Pawnee, and
afterwards into Kiawa, and the other languages, by
their respective interpreters. In reply, a cMef ex-
pressed his surprise that we had travelled so far, and
assured us that they were happy to see us, and hoped
that as a road was now open to our nation, traders
would be sent amongst them.

We assured them, that traders would be soon
amongst them, provided we could report on our
return that we had been hospitably treated while
travelling through their country.

A few presents, such as knives, combs, vermilion,
&c., were then laid before the chiefs, who, in return,
presented us with three or four horses, which termi-
nated the proceedings of the council. We after-
wards understood that our guests thought we gave
but little ; and it is perhaps true, that the value of
their presents was far greater than ours, yet our
liberality was fully equal to our means.

The whole population had now deserted their edi-
fices and crowded a"bout us, and, agreeably to our
wishes, which were announced in the council, the wo-
men brought jerked meat, and the men skin and hair
ropes for halters, to trade with us for trinkets j and
we were enabled to obtain a sufficient quantity of
each, at a very moderate price. The trading being
completed, we expected the crowd to diminish, but
it seemed rather to augment in magnitude and
density, until, becoming a very serious inconvenience,
we requested the chiefs to direct their people to retire,
which they immediately complied with, but, with the
exception of the Shienne chief, were not obeyed. All
the Shiennes forthwith left us, in compliance with

4«

the peremptoij orden of their cliie^ viio seemed to
be a man boro to commaiid, and to be endowed with
a fpiiit of onconqoefaUe ferocity ^ and enable of
fff^K^ffigr exemplaij punishment upon any one who
dboold £tfe to dtfobc^ his orders^ He was tall and
graceful, widi a higfalj-ridged aquiline nose^ oomi-
gMted fiirdiead, month with the comeis diawn down-
ward, and rather small, but remartahly piercing eye,
wbi^ when fixed upcm jour countenance, a|^ieared
ftrained in the intenseness of its gaze, and to sed^
father for the movements of the soul within, than to
ascertain the mere lineaments it contemplated. The
oth^ chirfs seemed to possess onlj the dignity of
office, without the power of conunand ; the result,
probably, of a deficiency of that native energy with
idndi tneir companion was so pre-eminently endowed.
They scarcely dared to reiterate their admonitions to
their followers, not to press so closely upon the white
people, but to limit their approaches to the line of
pur baggage. Still our tents were filled, and our per-
sons hemmed in by the ardent and insatiable curi-
osity of the multitude, of both sexes and of all ages,
mounted and on foot. To an observer of mankind,
the present scene was abundantly fruitM and inte-
resting. We could not but remark the ease and
air of security with which their equestrians pre-
served their equipoise on the naked backs of their
horses^ in their evolutions beyond the crowd ; nor
could we restrain a smile, in the midst of vexatious
circumstances, at the appearance of the naked chil-
dren, mounted on horses, sometimes to the num-
ber of three or four on each, carelessly standing
erect, or kneeling upon their backs, to catch a glance,
over the heads of tne intervening multitude, at the
sin^iar deportment, costume, and appearance of the
white strangers.

In the rear of our tent, a squaw, who had become
possessed of a wooden small-toothed comb, was occu*

45

pied in removing from her head a population as
numerous, as the individuals composing it were ro-
bust and well fed. She had placed a skin upon her
lap to receive the victims as they fell ; and a female
companion who sat at her feet alternately craunched
the oily vermin between her teeth, and conversed
with the most rapid and pleasant loquacity, as she
picked them up from the skin before her.

Our attention was now arrested by a phenomenon
which soon relieved us from the crowd that pressed
upon us. A heavy and extensive cloud of dust was
observed in the north, obscuring the horizon, and
bounding the range of vision in that direction. It
moved rapidly towards us. An animated scene en-
sued ; the Indians fording the river with as much
rapidity of movement as they could exert, towards
their encampment, horse and foot, the water foaming
before them. It soon became obvious that the dust
ascended into the atmosphere under the influence of
a violent current of air ; we therefore employed a
few moments of interval in strengthening our feeble
tenements to resist the influence of the approaching
tempest. Within, they were now so nearly filled with
our red brethren, that we wedged ourselves in with
some diflSculty amongst them. It soon became ne-
cessary to exert our strength in holding down our
tents and supporting the poles, which bowed and
shook violently under the pressure of the blast.
Thunder, lightning, rain, and hail succeeded. During
this play of the elements, our guests sat in stillness,
scarcely articulating a word during the prevalence of
the electrical explosions.

Our tents were much admired, and previously to
the fall of rain (which exposed then- imperfection, in
admitting the water, modified into the form of a mist)
one of the natives oflered to exchange an excellent
mule for that in which he was sitting; and as the
commonalty could not distinguish us in their minds

46

from traders, another offered two mules (valued
equal to four horses) for a double-barrelled gun ; and
a third would willingly have bartered a very good
horse for an old and almost worn-out camp-kettle,
which we could by no means part with, though much
in want of horses.

These Indians differ, in many particulars, from
those of the Missoiu'i, with whose appearance we had
been for some time familiar. Their average stature
appeared to us less considerable ; and although the
general appearance of the countenance was such as
we had been accustomed to see, yet their faces have,
perhaps, somewhat more latitude, and the Roman
nose is obviously less predominant ; but still the di-
rection of the eye, the prominence of the cheek bones,
the form of the lips, teeth, chin, and retreating fore-
head, are precisely similar. They have also the same
habit of plucking the hair from various parts of the
body ; but that of the head, in the females, is only
suffered to attain to the shoulders, whilst the men
permit theirs to grow to its full extent. They even
regard long hair as an ornament, and. many wear
false hair fastened to their own by means of an earthy
matter, resembling red clay, and depending in many
instances (particularly the young beau) to their kn^es,
in the form of queues, one on each side of the head,
variously decorated with ribbon, like slips of red ;^nd
blue cloth, or coloured skin. Others, and by no means
an inconsiderable few, had collected their long hair
into several flat masses, of the breadth of two. or three
fingers, and less than the fifth of an inch in thick-
ness, each one separately annulated with red clay at
regular intervals. The elders wore tlieir hair with-
out decoration, flowing loosely about their shoulders,
or simply intermixed with slender plaited queues. In
structure and colour it is not distinguished from that
of the Missouri Indians, thought in early youth, it is
often of a much lighter colour ; and a young man, of

47

Eerhaps fifteen years of age, who visited us to-day,
a^ hair decidedly of a flaxen hue, with a tint of
dusky yellow.

Their costume is very simple, that of the female
consisting of a leathern petticoat, reaching the calf
of the leg, destitute of a seam, and often exposing a
well-formed thigh, as the casualties of wind or position
influence the artless foldings of the skirt. The leg and
foot are often naked, but usually invested by gaiters
and mockasins. A kind of sleeveless short gown, com-
posed of a single piece of the same material, loosely
clothes the body, hanging upon the shoulders, readily
thrown off, without any sense of indelicacy, when
suckling their children, or under the influence of a
heated atmosphere, displaying loose and pendant
mammse. A few are covered by the more costly
attire of coarse red or blue cloth, ornamented with
a profusion of blue and white beads : the short gown
of this dress has the addition of wide sleeves descend-
ing below the elbow ; its body is of a square form, with
a transverse slit in the upper edge for the head to pass
through ; around this aperture, and on the upper
side of the sleeves, is a continuous stripe, the breadth
of the hand, of blue and white beads, tastefully
arranged in contrast with each other^ and adding
considerable weight as well as ornament to this part
of the dress. Around the petticoat, and in a line with
the knees, is an even row of oblong conic bells, made
of sheet copper, each about an inch and a half in
length, suspended vertically by short leathern thongs
as near to each other as possible, so that when the
person is in motion, they strike upon each other, and
produce a tinkling sound. The young unmarried
females are more neatly dressed, and seem to parti-
cipate but little in the laborious occupations, which
fall chiefly to the lot of their wedded companions.

The dress of the men is composed of a breech cloth,
skin leggings, mockasins, and a bison robe. In

48

warm weather the three latter articles of dress are
sometimes thrown aside as superfluous, exposing all
the limbs and body to view, and to the direct influ-
ence of the most ardent rays of the sun. Such are
the habiliments that necessity compels the multitude
to adopt i but the opulence of a few has gained for
themselves the comfortable as well as ornamental and
highly esteemed Spanish blanket from the Mexican
traders^and of which we had previously seen two or three
in the possession of Pawnee warriors worn as trophies.
Another species of garment, in their estimation
equally sumptuous with the blanket, is the cloth robe,
which is of ample dimensions, simple in form, one
half red and the other blue, thrown loosely about
the person, and at a little distance, excepting the
singular arrangement of colours, resembling a Spanish
cloak.

Some have, suspended from the slits of their ears,
the highly prized nacre, or pearlaceous fragments of a
marine shell, brought probably from the N.W. coast.

The Shienne chief revisited us in the aflernoon.
He informed us, that one of his young men, who had
been sent to ascertain the route which the bison herds
had taken, and their present locality, had observed
the trail of a large party of men, whom, by pursuing
the direction, he had discovered to be Spaniards on
their way towards the position we then occupied,
where they must very soon arrive. As we were now
in a region claimed by the Mexican Spaniards as ex-
clusively their own, and as we had for some days an-
ticipated such an event as highly probable, we invo-
luntarily reposed implicit confidence in the truth of
the intelligence communicated by the chief, who re-
garded that people as our natural enemies. Never-
theless his story was heard by our little band, as it
was proper that it should have been in our situation
and in the presence of Indians, with the appearance
of absolute apathy. The chief seemed not to have

^1

p^

^

f

49

accomplished some object he had in view, and de-
parted evidently displeased. When he was out of
hearing, the Indian interpreter, who had become
our friend, told us, that the story was entirely false,
and was without a doubt the invention of the chief,
and designed to expedite the trade for a few additional
horses that we were then negociating,

Mn Say (accompanied by an interpreter), who made
a short visit to the small group of lodges near us, was
kindly received, though hooted by the children, and
of course snarled and snapped at by the dogs. The
skin lodges of these wandering people are very simi-
le to those of the Missouri tribes, but in those to
which he was introduced, he experienced the oppres-
sion of an almost suffocating heat, certainly many
degrees above the temperature of the very sultry ex-
terior atmosphere. A very portly old man, whose
features were distinguished by a remarkably wide
mouth and lengthened chin, invited him to a small
ragged lodge, to see the riches it contained. These
consisted of habiliments of red and blue cloth, pro-
fusely garnished with blue and white beads, the pro-
duct of the industry and ingenuity of his squaw, from
materials obtained last winter from some white traders,
who made their appearance on Red river. The pre-
sent members of this^ family were the old man, one
wife, and four children, the latter as usual in a state
of nudity. The baggage was piled around the lodge,
serving for seats and beds ; and a pile of jerked meat
near the door served also for a seat, and was occa-
sionally visited by the dirty feet of the children* A
boy was amusing himself with that primitive weapon,
the sling, of an ordinary form, which he used with
considerable dexterity ; the effect of which he appeared
disposed to try upon the stranger, and was not readily
turned from his purpose by a harsh rebuke and me-
nacmg gesture.

He was informed, that the party of traders who had
last winter ascended Red river to their country, were

VOL. III. E

50

Tabbyboos (a name which they also applied fo us,
and which appears to be the same word which, accord-
ing to Lewis and Clarke, in the language of the Snake
Indians, means white men ; but it was here applied par-
ticularly to the Americans). These traders offered
various articles, such as coarse cloths, beads, Vermil-
lion, kettles, knives, guns, powder, lead, &c. in ex.
change for horses and mules, bison-robes, and parch-
ment or parfleche. Such was the anxiety to obtain
the merchandize thus displayed before them, that
those enterprising warriors, whose stock of horses was
but small, crossed the mountains into Mexico, and
returned with a plentiful supply of those animals for
exchange, captured from the iSpanish inhabitants of
that country. This illicit trade in horses was con-
ducted so extensively by that party of traders, that
he was told of a single Indian who sold them fifty
mules, besides a considerable number of horses from
his own stock.

At his return to camp he was informed, that an
old Indian had been there, who asserted that he never
before had seen a white man ; and on being permitted
to view a part of the body usually covered by the
dress, he seemed much surprised at its whiteness.

These Indians seem to hold in exalted estimation
the martial prowess of the Americans. They said that
a battle had lately been fought in the country which
lay very far down Red river, between a handful
of Americans and a great war-party of Spaniards,
that the latter were soon routed, retreating in a das-
tardly manner, like partridges running through the
grass. They were at present at war with the Spaniards
themselves, and had lately killed many individuals of
a party of that nation near the mountains.

In the evening, squaws were brought to our camp ;
and after we had retired to our tent at night, a brother
of the grand chief. Bear Tooth, continued to inter-
rupt our repose with solicitations in favour of a squaw
he had brought with him, until he was peremptorily

5

51

directed to be gone, and the sentinel was ordered to
prevent his future intrusion.

The Bear Tooth is the grand chief of the Arrapa-
hoes, and his influence extends over all the tribes of
the country in which he roves j he was said to be en-
camped at no great distance, with the principal body
of these nations. He is said to be very favourably
disposed towards the white people, and to have
afforded protection and a home in his own lodge to
a poor and miserable American who had the good
fortune to escape from the barbarity and mistaken
policy of the Mexican Spaniards, and from the
horrors of a Spanish prison, to find an asylum
amongst those whom they regard as barbarians, but
to whose commiseration his wretchedness seemed
to have been a passport.

Friday, 28th. This morning at sunrise we were
calledfrom our tents by the cry of Tabbyboo, proceed-
ing from two handsome mounted Arrapahoes, who
appeared delighted to see us ; they had passed our
camp in the night, on their way from the camp of the
Bear Tooth, with a message i'rom that chief to our
neighbours. In consequence of this information or
order, the lodges on both sides of the river Were
struck at six o'clock, and the whole body of Indians
commenced their march up the river, notwithstand-
ing the threatening aspect of the heavens, which
portended a storm. We could not but admire the
regularity with which the preparations for their
journey seemed to be conducted, and the remarkable
facility with which the lodges disappeared, and with
all their cumbrous and various contents were secured
to the backs of the numerous horses and mules. As
the long-drawn cavalcade proceeded onwards, a
military air was imparted to the whole, at the distance
at which we contemplated it, by the activity of the
young warriors, with their lances and shields, gallop-
ing or racing along the line for caprice or amuse-
ment.

52

The Kiawa chief, and a few attendants, called to
make his parting visit; an old man, rather short,
inelegantly formed, destitute of any remarkable
physiognomical peculiarity, and like other chiefs
without any distinction of personal ornament. In
common with many of his tribe, his system was sub-
ject to cutaneous eruptions, of which several indica-
tions, besides a large ulcer near the angle of the
mouth, exhibited the proof. We were soon all driven
into our flimsy and almost worn-out tents, which
aflforded us but a very partial shelter from the fall of
a heavy shower of rain from the N. W. Here we
obtained some additional information from the chief,
who was disposed to be communicative, to augment
the considerable mass which we had already collected
from other Indians, and particularly from Bijeau,
respecting these wandering herds. The chief seemed
to take a pleasure in pronouncing to us words of the
Kiawa language, and smiled at our awkward attempts
to imitate them, whilst we were engaged in commit-
ting them to paper. This vocabulary, as well as that
of the Kaskaia language, which we had previously
obtained from the Caifi had been for some time the
objects of our wishes ; as Bijeau persuaded us that
they were more difficult to acquire than any other
language, and that although formerly he resided
three years with those nations, he never could under-
stand the meaning of a single word, not even their
expression for Frenchman, or tobacco. Nor does this
observation, though perhaps unintentionally exagge-
rating the idea of the abstruse nature of the language,
appear absolutely destitute of foundation, since these
nations, although constantly associating together,
and united under the influence of the Bear Tooth, are
yet totally ignorant of each other's language ; inso-
much that it was no uncommon occurrence to see
two individuals of different nations sitting upon
the ground, and conversing freely with each other by
m^ns of the language of signs. In the art of thus

< :

>

53

conveying their ideas they were tliorough adepts ;
and their manual display was only interrupted at re-
mote intervals by a smile, or by the auxiliary of an
articulated word of the language of the Crow Indians,
which to a very limited extent passes current among
them.

These languages abound with sounds strange to our
ears, and in the noisy loquacity of some squaws, who
held an animated debate near our tents yesterday,
we distinguished pre-eminently a sound which may
be expressed by the letters koo, koo, koo.

The Shiennes, or Shawhays, who have united their
destiny with these wanderers, are a band of seceders
from their own nation ; and some time since, on the
occurrence of a serious dispute with their kindred
on Shienne river of the Missouri, flew their country,
and placed themselves under the protection of the
Bear Tooth.

These nations have been for the three past years
wandering on the head waters and tributaries of Red
river, having returned to the Arkansa only the day
which preceded our first interview with them, on
their way to the mountains at the sources of the
Platte river. They have no permanent town, but
constantly rove, as necessity urges them, in pursuit
of the herds of bisons in the vicinity of the sources of
the Platte, Arkansa, and Red rivers.

They are habitually at war with all the nations of
the Missouri ; indeed, martial occurrences in which
they were interested with those enemies formed the
chief topic of their conversation with our inter-
preters. They were desirous to know of them the
names of particular individuals whom they had met in
battle, and whom they described ; how many had
been present at a particular engagement, and who
were killed or wounded. The late battle, which we
have before spoken of, with the Loup Pawnees, also
occupied their inquiries ; they denied that they were
on that occasion aided by the Spaniards, as we under-.

E 3

54

Stood they had been, but admitted their great name'
rical superiority, and the loss of many in killed and
wounded. Their martial weapons are bows and
arrows, lances, war-clubs, tomahawks, scalping-
knives, and shields. [4]

Tobacco being very scarce, they do not carry
with them a pouch for the convenience of having it
always at hand, an article of dress invariably attendant
on the Missouri Indian. Bijeau informed us, that the
smoking of tobacco was regarded as a pleasure so
sacred and important, that the females were accus-
tomed to depart from the interior of a lodge when
the men indulged themselves with the pipe. The
Shienne chief, in consequence of a vow he had made
against using the pipe, abstained from smoking
whilst at our council, untU he had the good fortune
to find a small piece of paper which some one of our
party had rejected ; with this he rolled up a small
quantity of tobacco fragments into the form of a
segar, after the manner of the Spaniards, and thus
contented himself with infringing the spirit of his
vow, whilst he obeyed it to the letter.

The rain having ceased, our guest and his attend-
ants took their leave.

These Indians might readily be induced to hunt
the beaver, which are so extremely abundant in their
country ; but as yet, these peltries seem not to have
entered amongst the items of their trade.

In the afternoon we struck our tents and con-
tinued our journey ; we were soon overtaken by a
thunder-storm, which poured down upon us a deluge
of rain, which continued with partial intermissions
during the night.

Saturday, SQth. The sun arose with renewed splen-
dour, and ushered in another sultry day. Two of
the horses which had been presented by the chiefs
ran off, and were soon observed to rise the bluffs, and
disappear ; men were despatched in pursuit of them,
who, after a long and fatiguing chase, returned about

55

noon unsuccessful. We reconciled ourselves as we
might to this privation, and after dining proceeded
onward. The alluvial margins of the river are gra-
dually dilating as we descend, and the mosquitoes,
which have of late visited our camp but sparingly,
are now increasing in number. A fine species of
toad (bufo) [5] inhabits this region. It resembles
the common toad (B* musicus daud.), but differs in
the arrangement of the colours, and in the propor-
tional length of the groove of the head, which in that
species extends to the nose ; it is destitute of large
verrucose prominences intervening between tne
verrucas behind the eyes, and of the large irregular
black dorsal spots edged with white, observable upon
the musicus. In the arrangement of the cinerous
lines, it presents a general resemblance to B.Juscus
saur. as represented on pi. QQ. of the Encycl. Method.
It thus resides in a country almost destitute of tim-
ber, where, as well as a variety of the musicus, it is
very much exposed to the direct rays of the sun.

E 4f

56

CHAPTER IV.

ARRAPAHO WAR-PARTY. — TABANUS. . RATTLESNAKES. —

BURROWING OWL. — DEPARTURE OF BIJEAU AND LEDOUX

rOR THE PAWNEE VILLAGES. SCARCITY OF TIMBER.

GREAT HERDS OF BISONS. WOLVES.

Sunday, 30th. About sunrise a dense fog inter-
cepted the view of surrounding scenery, which was
soon dissipated as we moved on, exhibiting all the
variety of 'partially revealed and unnaturally en-
larged objects, so familiar to observers of rural sights.
At noon, a beautiful natural grove of cotton-wood,
lining a ravine in which was some cool but stagnant
water near the bank of the river, invited us to repose
during the oppressive mid-day heat. We had hardly
stripped our horses of their baggage, and betaken
ourselves to our respective occupations, when a voice
from the opposite bank of the river warned us of the
proximity of Indians, who had been until now unseen.
Nine Indians soon appeared, and crossed the river to
our camp« They proved to be an Arrapaho war-
party of eight men and a squaw, of whom one was a
Kiawa. * This party informed us, that they had left
the Bear Tooth's party on a tributary of this river^ at
the distance of about half a day's journey from us,
moving upwards. As no apprehension of mischief
was entertained from so small a party, they were in-
vited to encamp near us for the remainder of the day ;
to which, urged by curiosity, and perhaps by the
hope of receiving some presents, they readily as-
sented. The squaw busied herself in erecting a little
bowery, of a sufficient size to contain herself and her

* Tlie Arrapaho, or Happaho nation, is known to theMinnetarees
of the Missouri, by the name of E-t^-l^h, or Bison-path Indians*

husband, who we afterwards discovered to be a per-
sonage of some eminence in their mystic arts. Having
supph'ed our guests with a pipe of some tobacco, we
resumed our occupations. Our attention was, how-
ever, diverted to the young Kiawa warrior, who had
the presumption to seize the Kaskaia horse which
was purchased of the Calf Indian, loose him from the
stake around which he was grazing, and having the
further audacity to lead him near to our tetits, pro-
ceeded to make a noose in the halter, which he placed
over the mouth of the animal, that patiently sub-
mitted to his operations. This sudden subjugation
of the horse was a subject of more surprise to us
than the outrageous attempt of the Indian, as he had
hitherto resisted all our endeavours to accomplish
the same object, whether conciliatory or forcible*
It seemed to corroborate the truth of the observation,
that the horse readily distinguishes the native from
the white man by his acute sense of smelling. The
intention of the Indian to take possession of the horse
was now manifest, and one of our party stepped for-
ward and seized the halter near the head of the
animal ; but the Indian, who held the other extremity
of the halter, betrayed no symptoms of fear, or of an
intention to relinquish a possession which he had thus
partially obtained : he looked sternly at his antagonist,
and asserted his right to the horse; inasmuch as he
had, he said, formerly owned him, and meant now to
repossess him. Supposing that this altercation might
eventuate unpleasantly, the remainder of our party
stood prepared to repulse any attempt which the other
Indians might make to support the claim of their
companion, whilst Bijeau, with a manly decision, ad-
vanced and forcibly jerked the halter out of the hands
of the Indian. His companions sat enjoying them-
selves with their pipe, and did not appear disposed to
take any part in the transaction. He fortunately
made no further exertions to obtain possession of the
horse, but immediately mounted his own horse, and

58

rode off in high dudgeon^ saying he would remain
no longer with us for fear we would kill him. Con-
trary to our expectations, the other Indians loudly
condemned his conduct j they said that the horse had
never been his property, though they all knew the
animal well ; that the Kiawa was a very bad Indian,
and would either assemble a party to return against
us, or he would return himself that night to accom-
plish his purpose. ^* If he does come,** said they, "you
need not give yourselves any trouble ; for we will
watch for him, and kill him ourselves.**

When the excitement of this incident had subsided,
we felt desirous to examine the contents of the me-
dicine bag of the man of mysteries, who was at once
a magician and the leader of the party. At our
solicitation he readily opened his sacred depository,
and displayed its contents on a skin before us, whilst
he politely proceeded to expatiate on their powers
and virtues in the occult art, as well as their physical
efficacy. They consisted of various roots, seeds,
pappus, and powders, both active and inert, as re-
spects their action on the human system, carefully
enveloped in skins, leaves, &c., some of which, to his
credulous faith, were invested with supernatural
powers. Similar qualities were also attributed to
some animal products with which these were accom-
panied, such as claws of birds, beaks, feathers, and
hair. But tfee object that more particularly at-
tracted our attention was the intoxicating bean, as it-
has been called, of which he possessed upwards of a
pint. Julien recognized it immediately. He in-
lormed us, that it is in such high request amongst the
Oto Indians, that a horse has been exchanged for
eight or ten of them. In that nation the intoxicating
bean is only used by a particular society, who at their
nocturnal orgies make a decoction of the bean, and
with much pomp and ceremony administer the de-
lightful beverage to each member* The initiation
fees of this society are rather extravagant, and the

S9

proceeds are devoted principally to the purchase of
the bean. That old sensualist, Shongotonga (big
horse), is the principal or presiding member of the
society, and the bean is obtained in some circuitous
manner from the Pawnee Piquas of Red river, who
probably receive it from the Mexican Indians. With
some few trinkets of little value, we purchased the
principal portion of our[medicine man's store of beans;
they are of an ovate form, and of a light red, some-
times yellowish colour, with a rather deeply impressed
oval cicatrix, and larger than a common bean,
A small number of a differently coloured and rather
larger bean was intermixed with them.

The squaw had in her possession a quantity of
small flat blackish cakes, which on tasting we found
very palatable. Having purchased some of them,
we ascertained that they were composed of the wild
cherry, of which both pulp and stone were pounded
together, until the latter is broken into fragments,
then mixed with grease, and dried in the sun.

Not choosing to rely implicitly on the good faith
of the strangers^ however emphatically expressed,
the sentinel was directed to look well to them, and
also to keep the horse in question constantly in view
during the night, and to alarm us upon the occur-
rence of any suspicious movements.

All, however, remained quiet during the night, and
in the morning, Monday 51 st^ we resumed our
journey. The river now considerably dilates, and is
studded with a number of small islands, but the tim-
ber that skirts its stream is still less abundant, and
more scattered. The alluvial formation affords a
moderate growth of grass, but the general surface of
the country is flat, sterile, and uninteresting. The
day was cloudy with an E. S. E. wind, which at night
brought some rain.

Tuesday, August 1st. Set out late j and after
having travelled about two miles, a horseman armed
with a spear was seen on the bluffS;, at the distance

♦^

60

of about a quarter of a mile, who, after gazing at
our line for a short time, disappeared. Our Pawnee
interpreters being at a considerable dist«»^ je in the
rear, Julien was sent forward to reconnoitre. He
mounted the bluff to the general level of the country,
and abruptly halted his horse within our view, as if
appearances before him rendered precaution neces-
sary. The Indian again came in sight, and in full
career rushed towards him, passed him, and wheeling,
halted his horse. Many other Indians then appeared,
who surrounded Julien, and after a short and flurried
conference, they dashed at full speed down the steep
bank of the bluff to meet us, the whole in concert
singing the scalp song. So adventurous and heed
less was this movement, that one of the horses stum-
bled and fell with great violence, and rolled to the
bottom. His rider, no doubt prepared for such an
accident, threw himself in the instant from his seat,
so as to fall in the most favourable manner, and avoid
the danger of being crushed by the horse j not the
slightest attention was bestowed upon him by his
companions, and indeed the disaster, however seri-
ous it first appeared, hardly interrupted his song.
His horse being but little injured, he almost imme-
diately regained his saddle, and came on but little in
the rear of the others, who now had mingled with
our party, shaking us by the hand with a kind of
earnest familiarity not the most agreeable. We
needed no additional information to convince us that
this was a war-party; their appearance was a suffi-
cient evidence of the nature of their occupation.
One of us asked an individual if they were Kiawas,
and was answered in the affirmative ; he asked a
second, if they were Kaskaias, and a third, if they
were Arrapahoes, who both also answered affirmatively.
This conduct, added to their general deportment,
served to excite our suspicions and redouble our
vigilance. Two or three other little detached squads
were now seen to approach, also singing the scalp

61

song. Our interpreters having joined us, it was
proposed that we should avail ourselves of the shade
of a large tree which stood near the river, to sit
down and smoke with them. They reared their
spears against the tree with apparent carelessness and
indifference, and took their seats in the form of a
semicircle on tlie ground. Having staked our horses
in the rear, and stationed the men to protect them
and the baggage, we seated ourselves, and circulated
the pipe as usual. But as the party opposed to us
was nearly quadruple our number, we did not choose
to follow their example in relinquishing our arms,
but grasped them securely in our hands, and retained
a cautious attitude,

Bijeau ascertained that they were a Shienne war-
party, on their return from an expedition against the
Pawnee Loups. They had killed one squaw, whose
scalp was suspended to the spear of the partizan or
leader of the party, the handle of which was deco-
rated with strips of red and white cloth, beads, and
tail plumes of the war-eagle. He also informed us,
that he recognized several of them, particularly a
chief who sat next to him, whose person himself
and party had formerly seized upon, and detained as
a hostage for the recovery of some horses that had
been stolen. The chief, howev^er, did not now betray
any symptoms of a disposition to retaliate for that act,
though, without doubt, he regarded us as in his power.
Our interpreter readily conversed with them through
the medium of a Crow prisoner^ whose language he
partially understood.

The partizan who killed the victim of this excur-
sion, and two others, one of whom first struck the
dead body, and the other who took off the scalp,
were painted deep black with charcoal, and almost
the entire body being exposed, rendered the effect
more impressive. One of the latter, a tall athletic
figure, remained standing behind us, and refused to
smoke when the pipe was offered to him, alleging

62

as an excuse, the obligation of a vow he had made
against the* use of tobacco, on the demise of liis late
father.

We now drew upon our little store of merchandize,
for two or three twists of tobacco and a few knives,
which, being laid before the partizan, excited from
his politeness the return of thanks. He was of an
ordinary stature, and had exceeded the middle age ;
his face much pitted with the small pox, his nostrils
distended by a habitual muscular action, which at
the same time elevated the skin of the forehead, and
forcibly drew downward that part which corresponds
with the inner extremity of the eve-brows, into a
kind of gloomy frown. This singular expression of
countenance, added to the contrast of the whites of
his large eyes, with the black colour with which his
features and body were overspread, seemed to indi-
cate the operations of a mind hardened to the com-
mission of the most outrageous actions. He however
behaved with much propriety. During these scenes
Mr. Say succeeded in ascertaining and recording
many of the words of the language, from an Indian
who had seated himself behind him.

The party was armed with spears, bows, and arrows,
war-clubs, tomahawks, scalping knives, &c.

As many of them now began to ask for tobacco
and for paper, to include fragments of it in the form
of segars for smoking, and not finding it convenient
to gratify them in this respect, we thought it prudent
to withdraw, lest a quarrel might ensue. We there-
fore mounted our horses without molestation, having
been detained an hour and a half, and proceeded on
our journey, with the agreeable reflection that our de-
portment had not warranted a supposition that we
were conscious of any inferiority in force, but rather
that it was dictated by a high courtesy.

A few bisons varied the landscape, which is fa-
tiguing to the eye by its sameness ; and after travel-
ling twenty-three miles, we encamped for the night. A

63

large green-headed fly (tabanus) has made its appear-
ance in great numbers, which exceedingly worries our
already sufficiently miserable horses. Their range
seems to be in a great measure restricted to the luxuri-
ant bottoms, and, like the zimb of Egypt, they appear
to roam but little beyond their proper boundaries.
If we traversed these fertile portions of the low
grounds, which yield a profuse growth of grasses, we
were sure of being attacked by them, seizing upon
the necks of the horses, and dying them with blood ;
but the refuge of the more elevated surface, and arid
barren soil, afforded speedy relief, by banishing our
assailants.

Scarcely were our tents pitched, when a thunder-
storm, which had been approaching with a strong west
wind, burst over us, but was of short continuance.

Wednesday, 2d. After moving a few miles, we
halted, and sent out hunters to kill a bison. [6] The
confluent rattlesnakes are very abundant, parti-
cularly in and about the prairie dog villages; but
neither their appearance nor the sound of their rattle
excites the attention of our horses ; the sagacity of
Mr. Seymour's mule, however, seems superior to that
of his quadruped companions. He appears to be
perfectly aware of the dangerous qualities of these
reptiles, and when he perceives one of them near
him, he springs so abruptly to one side, as to en-
danger his rider. Fortunately none of us have been
bitten by them during our pedestrian rambles.

A recent trail of some war-party was this morning
observed, leading across the river. The hunters re-
turned unsuccessful, and we proceeded on until sun-
set to a distance of twenty miles. Great numbers of
bisons were seen this afternoon, and some antelopes.

Thursday, 3d. The morning was clear and fine,
with a temperature of 57 degrees. The antelopes
become more numerous as we proceed; one of
them trotted up so near to our line as to fall a victim
to his curiosity. A considerable number of the co-

64

quimbo, or burrowing owl, occurred in a prairie dog
village of limited extent. They readily permitted the
hunter to approach within gunshot, and we were suc-
cessful in obtaining a specimen of the bird in good
order. Upon examining the several burrows upon
which the owls had been observed to be perched, we
remarked in them a different aspect from those on
which the prairie dog had appeared ; they were often
in a ruined condition, the sides in some instances
fallen in, sometimes seamed and grooved by the
action of the water in its course from the surface to
the interior, and in other respects presenting a deserted
aspect, and, like dilapidated monuments of human art,
were the fit abode of serpents^ lizards, and owls. The
burrows on which we saw the prairie dog w^re, on the
contrary, neat, always in repair, and evinced the
operations of industrious tenants. This contrast,
added to the form and magnitude of the dwelling,
leads us to the belief that the coquimbo owl does not,
in this region, excavate its own burrow, as it is said
to do in South America and in the West India islands ;
but rather that it avails itself of the abandoned bur-
rows of this- species of marmot, for the purposes of
nidification and shelter.

On our arrival at our mid-day resting-place, on the
bank of the Arkansa, the water of the river was po-
table, but in a few minutes it became surcharged with
earthy and stercoraceous matters, from the sweep-
ings of the prairie by the late rain, to such a degree
that our horses would hardly drink it. There remained
however, a short distance below, a small stream of
beautifully pellucid water, which rapidly filtrated
through a fortuitous embankment of sand and pebbles,
and strongly contrasted with the flood with which it
was soon again to intermingle. Our travelled dis-
tance to-day was twenty-three miles.

Friday, 4th. Proceeded on about six miles, when
we forded a small portion of the river to an island
which supported a growth of low and distant trees.

65

Here the tents were pitched, with the intention of
halting a day or two, to recruit our miserable horses^
and to supply ourselves with a store of jerked meat.
The hunters were accordingly sent to the opposite
side of the river, and in a short time they succeeded
in killinfi^ four fat cows, which gave employment to
all the men in preparing the meat for transportation.

A brisk southerly wind prevailed, that rendered the
atmosphere less oppressive than usual.

Saturday, 5th. The wind ceased during the night,
and the lowing of the thousands of bisons that sur-
rounded us in every direction, reached us in one con-
tinual roar. This harsh and guttural noise, interme-
diate between the bellowing of the ddmestic bull and
the grunting of the hog, was varied by the shrill
bark and scream of the jackals, and the howling of
the white wolves (canis mexicanus van), which were
also abundant. These wild and dissonant sounds
were associated with the idea of the barren and
inhospitable wastes, in the midst of which we were
then reposing-, and vividly reminded us of our re- •
moteness from the comforts of civilised society. Com-
pleted the operation of jerking the meat, of which we
had prepared two packs sufficient in weight to con-
stitute a load for one of our horses, and disposed
every thing for an early departure to-morrow.

Sunday, 6th. An unusual number of wolves and
jackals hovered around our encampment of last night,
attracted probably by the smell of the meat. Re-
sumed our journey on a fine cloudless morning, with
a strong and highly agreeable breeze from the south.
We were now traversing the great beod of the river.
Travelled twenty-three miles to-day, and shot two
bulls, which were now poor, and their flesh of a dis-
agreeable rank taste and scarcely eatable; we
therefore contented ourselves with the tongues and

marrow-bones.

Monday, 7th, The mercurial column of the ther-
mometer at sunrise, for a few days past, has ranged

66

between 42 and Grj degrees, and the atmosphere is
serene and dry. Tlie services of the two French
Pawnee interpreters, Bijeau and Ledoux, had termi-
nated, agreeably to their contract, at Purgatory Creek ;
but having been highly serviceable to us on our route,
it became desirable, particularly on the departure of
our companions for Red river, that they should ac-
company us still farther, until we should have passed
beyond the great Indian war-path, here so widely
outspread. This they readily consented to, as they
regarded a journey from that point to their home, at
the Pawnee villages, as somewhat too hazardous to
be prudently attempted by only two individuals, how-
ever considerable their qualitications, and intimate
their familiarity with the manners of those whom they
would probably meet.

But as we now supposed ourselves to have almost
reached the boundary of this region, and they again
expressed their anxiety to return to their village, in
order to prepare for their autumnal hunt, we no longer
attempted to induce their further delay. They de-
parted after breakfast, on a pathless journey of about
three hundred miles, the supposed distance from this
point to the Pawnee villages of the Platte, apparently
well pleased with the treatment they had received^
and expressing a desire again to accompany us, should
we again ascend the Missouri. We cannot take leave
of them, without expressing our entire approbation of
their conduct and deportment, during our arduous
journey; Bijeau, particularly, was faithful, active, in-
dustrious, and communicative. Besides the duties of
guide and interpreter, he occasionally and frequently
volunteered his service^ as hunter, butcher, cook, ve-
terinarian, &c,, an^ppinted out various little services,
tending to our comfoi^t and security, which he per-
formed with pleasure and alacrity, and which no other
than one long habituated to this mode of life would
have devised. During leisure intervals, he had com-
municated ail historical narrative of his lift and

67

adventures, more particularly in as far as they were
relative to the country which we have been exploring.
He particularized the adventures of Choteau and
Demun's hunting and trading party ; their success in
beaver hunting, the considerable quantity of mer-
chandize they took with them, their adventures with
the natives, and the singular circumstances attendant
on their capture by the Mexican Spaniards, and the
transfer of the merchandize to Santa F6, without
however venturing to express any conjectures relative
to the latter transaction. Much still more important
information was derived from him concerning the
manners and habits of these mountain Indians, their
history, affinities, and migrations.

A copious vocabulary of words of the Pawnee lan-
guage was obtained from Ledoux, together with an
account of the manners and habits of that nation.
All these, however, composed a part of the manu-
scripts of Mr. Say, that- were subsequently carried off
by deserters from our camp.

Travelled this day twenty-seven miles. The soil is
becoming in many districts more exclusively sandy ;
the finer particles of which, driven by the wind, have
formed numerous large hillocks on the opposite side
of the river, precisely resembling those which are ac-
cumulated on our sea-coast. On the northern side,
or that which we are traversing, the prairie still offers
its unvaried flatness and cheerless barrenness, so that
during a portion of the day's journey not a solitary
bush, even on the river bank, relieved the monotonous
scene before us.

Tuesday, 8th. Proceeded early, and at the dis-
tance of twelve miles, crossed a creek of clear running
water, called by Bijeau DemurCs Creek, from the
circumstance of that hunter losing there a fine horse.
At a considerable distance above, its stream was
slightly fringed with timber, but at our crossing place,
it was like the neighbouring part of the river to which
it contributed, entirely destitute of trees. Our jour-

F 2

68

ney this day was a distance of S4^ miles ; towards
evening we crossed another creek, over which, being
much backed up by the river, we experienced some
difficulty in effecting a passage, and were obliged,
with this view, to ascend its stream some distance.
It was moderately timbered, and amongst other trees
we observed the elm and some plum trees, bearing
fruit nearly ripe.

Wednesday, 9th. During these few days past, the
bisons have occurred in vast and almost continuous
herds, and in such infinite numbers as seemed to in-
dicate the great bend of the Arkansa as their chief
and generafrendezvous. As we pass along, they run
in an almost uninterrupted line before us. The course
of our line being parallel to that of the Arkansa, when
we are travelling at the distance of a mile or two from
the river, great herds of these animals were included
between us and it ; as the prevailing wind blew very
obliquely from our left towards the river, it informed
them of our presence by the scent which it conveyed.
As soon as the odour reached even the farthest animal,
though at the distance of two miles on our right,
and perhaps half a mile in our rear, he betrayed the
utmost alarm, would start into a full bounding run to
pass before us to the bluffs, and as he turned round
the head of our line, he would strain every muscle
to accelerate his motion. This constant procession
of bulls, cows, and calves of various sizes, grew so
familiar to us at length, as no longer to divert our
view from the contemplation of other objects, and
from the examination of the comparatively more
minute, but certainly not less wonderful works of
nature. The white wolves and Jackals, more intelli-
gent than their associates, judgmg by the eye of the
proximity of danger, as well as by their exquisite
sense of smelling, either dashed over the river, or un-
hesitatingly crossed our scent in the rear, and at an
easy pace, or dog-trot, chose the shortest route to
the bluffs.

69

The soil of the afternoon journey was a deep fine
white sand^ which rendered the travelling very la-
borious, under the debilitating influence of an ex-
treme temperature of 94f degrees of Fahrenheit's
scale, and affected the sight, by the great glare of
light which it so freely reflected. The chief produce
of these tracts of unmixed sand is the sunflower,
often the dense and almost exclusive occupant* The
evening encampment was formed at the junction of
a small tributary with the river, at a distance of
about twenty-four miles from the last-mentioned
creek. The very trifling quantity of timber sup-
ported by the immediate bank of the river in this
region, is almost exclusively the cotton-wood ; we are
therefore gratified to observe on this creek, besides
the elm, the walnut, mulberry, and ash, which we hail
with a hearty welcome, as the harbingers of a more
productive territory.

F 3

70

CHAPTER V.

TERMINATION OF THE GREAT BEND OF THE ARKANSA. —

lETAN WAR-PARTY. LITTLE ARKANSA. RED RIVER

FORK. — LIITLE NEOSHO AND LITTLE VERDIGRISE CREEKS.

Thursday, 10th. The great bend of the Arkansa
terminates here ; and as our horses have fed insuffi-
ciently for several days past, we lay by for the day to
give them an opportunity of recruiting themselves.
A S.S.E. wind prevailed, and at noon exerted a con-
siderable force ; the extreme degree of heat was 96
degrees. The hunters brought in a deer and bison.

Friday, 11th. Left the encampment at the con-
fluence of the creek and proceeded onwards. The
sandy soil and growth of sunflowers still continue on
the river bottoms, and the surface of the opposite bank
still swells into occasional hillocks of naked sand.
The rice bird (emberiza oryzivora, L.) was feeding
on the seeds of the sunflower, and the bald eagle was
seen sailing high in the air.

We have hitherto generally been able to procure a
sufficient supply of small drift-wood for our culinary
purposes, but at this noon-day halting-place we were
obliged to despatch a man across the river to collect
enough to kindle a fire. From our evening encamp-
ment not a tree was within the range of sight.

This day was extremely warm, the mercury at three
o'clock indicating OG degrees, a temperature not de-
• creased by a nimbus in the west, pouring rain, with
some thunder. In the evening, silent lightning
played beautifully amongst the mingled cirrostratus
and cumulus clouds with which the heavens became
overcast. In the afternoon, we passed the termina-
tion of the sand-hills of the opposite shore. A fine male

71

antelope was shot by Lieut. Swift, and a skunk was
also the game of the day. Distance, twenty-five miles.

Saturday, 12th. Passed over a very wide bottom, of
which the soil, when not too sandv, produces a most
luxuriant growth of grasses and other plants ; but the
river is still in a great measure destitute of trees, of
which we passed but three during the morning's ride,
and not a bush over the height of about two and a
half feet, being a few willows and barren plum bushes.
We were again gratified with the appearance of the
prairie fowl running nimbly before us through the
grass, the first we have seen since leaving the Platte.
The bisons have now very much diminished in num*
ber ; we passed, unheeded, within a few yards of a
young bull, whose glazed eye and panting respiration
showed the operation of some malady ; and it was
curious to observe, that though he stood erect and
firmly on his legs, the wolves, which fled on our ap-
proach, acquainted with his defenceless condition,^
surrounded him in considerable numbers, awaiting
his dissolution, and probably watching their oppor-
tunity to accelerate it.

The afternoon was calm, and the mercury, at its
greatest elevation, stood at 99 degrees. Soon aft;er
our departure from our resting-place of noon, we
observed a large herd of bisons on our left, running
with their utmost rapidity towards us, from the distant
bluffs. This was a sufficient warning to put us on
our guard against another unwelcome war-party.
Looking attentively over the surface of the country
in that direction, a mounted Indian was observed to
occupy an elevated swell of the surface, at the distance
of a mile from us. Our peace-flag was, as usual, im-
mediately displayed, to let him know that we were
white people, and to induce him to come to us, whilst,
we halted to wait for him. Assured by this pacific
display, he approached a short distance, but again
halted, as if doubting our intentions. Julien was
then sent forward towards him bearing the flag, to

F 4

72

assure him of our friendship. The ludian now ad-
vanced, but with much caution, and obliquely, from
one side to the other, as if beating against the wind.
Another Indian was now observed advancing rapidly,
who joined his companion. After some communi-
cation, by means of signs, with Julien, to ascertain
who we were, they approached within gun-shot of us,
and halting, desh-ed to shake hands with our chief;,
after this ceremony they rode to an elevated ground,
in order to give information to their party, which,
during this short interview, we had discovered at a
long distance towards the bluffs, drawn up in line, in
a conspicuous situation. One of the horsemen halted
whilst liis companion rode transversely twice between
him and the party. This telegraphic signal was im-
mediately understood by the party, that consequently
came on towards us. But their movement was so
tardy, that it required th6 exertion of the greater
part of our stock of patience to wait their coming,
under the ardour of the heated rays of the sun, to
which we were exposed. They seemed peaceably
disposed, and desired to accompany us to the river
bank, in order to smoke with us ; but such was the
scarcity of timber, that we were unable to avail
ourselves of the shade of a single tree.

We now ascertained that they were an letan or
Camanch (a band of the Snake Indians) war-party,
thirty-five in number, of whom five were squaws.
They had marched to attack the Osages, but were
surprised in their camp of night before last, by a party
of unknown Indians. In the skirmish that ensued,
they lost three men, and had six wounded. They
however escaped under cover of the darkness, with the
further loss of fifty-six horses, and all their clothing,
which were captured by the enemy. [7] They were
indeed in a naked condition, being destitute of robes,
leggings, and mockasins ; with nothing to cover their
bodies at night, or to protect them from the influence
of the sun during the day. The squaws, however, had

73

managed to retain their clothing, and one of the war-
riors had preserved an article of dress, resembling a
coat, half red and half blue, ornamented with beads
on the sleeves and shoulders. The usual decoration
of beads about the neck and in the hair and ears were
preserved, and one warrior only was painted with ver-
miUon. The hair of several was matted into flat
braids with red clay, and one individual had seven or
eight pieces of the pearl shell suspended from his ears,
so highly valued by these Indians. In every particu-
lar of form and feature, they were undistinguishable
from the Kiawas, Kaskaias, and Arrapahoes. Much
attention was devoted to the wounded, who were each
accommodated with a horse, of which animals eight
had been fortunately retained. These objects of
sympathy were assisted in alighting from their horses
with great tenderness, particularly one of them,
who was shot through the body. Another of them^
who was one of the two mounted spies that first ap-
proached us, had lost his brother in the late battle j
and to prove the sincerity of his grief for his loss, he
had cut more than one hundred parallel transverse
lines on his arms and thighs, of the length of from
three to four inches, deep enough to draw blood, and
so close to each other that the width of the finger
could not be interposed between any two of them.

They were armed with bows and arrows, lances and
shields, and thirteen guns, but by far the greater
number carried lances. They begged stoutly for
various articles, particularly clothing ; and it was
found necessary to separate from them a few feet into
a distinct body, in order to be prepared to act toge-
ther in case of necessity. One of us, however, oc-
cupied with the appearance of these Indians, still re-
mained amongst them, until one of them attempted to
seize his gun, when a slight scuffle ensued, which he
terminated by violently wresting the piece from the
grasp of the Indian, and warily retreating from the
midst of them.

74

All being seated, the pipe was passed round to a few
principal persons who sat directly in front of us.
Some presents were likewise laid before the partizan,
consisting of a blanket, a skin to make mockasins of,
a dozen knives, and five twists of tobacco ; and though
some of them complained aloud, and with a violent
shivering gesticulation, of the cold they suffered dur-
ing the night, such was the state of our stores, both
public and private, that it was not thought prudent
further to enlarge our bounty.

One of our number, who was earnestly occupied in
endeavouring to obtain a few words of their language,
but who succeeded in recording but four, heard one
of them, whilst in conversation with the partizan, ter-
minate a remark with a word or phrase so exactly
similar in sound to the words Ho'w is ity that he almost
involuntarily repeated them aloud. The speaker
seemed pleased with this, and believing, from the
exact similarity of the sounds, that he understood the
language, immediately directed his discourse to him,
but was answered only by signs denoting ignorance
of the language. Their words seem less harsh, miore
harmonious, and easier of acquisition, than those of
their neighbours.

Whilst thus occupied, one of the soldiers who
were behind us called our attention to an Indian
who had tlie effrontery to seize the Kaskaia horse by
the halter, and, as in a former instance, was making a
noose to pass over his head; this procedure was
pointed out to the partizan, who taking no notice of
rt, the fellow was ordered, in a peremptory tone of
voice and unequivocal manner, to desist, which he
reluctantly complied with. Thus this horse is im-
mediately distinguished and recognized by all the
parties we have inet w'ith since he has been with
us.

We had remained about an hoiir with this party,
when, in consequence of this conduct, of their impor-
tunateness, and some incipient symptotns of diiSbrder

75

amongst them, we judged it prudent to leave them,
in order to avoid a quarrel. We therefore mounted
our horses, notwithstanding the earnest solicitations
of these Indians that we would pass the night with
them, probably anticipating another night attack
from some unseen enemy : but hardly had we pro-
ceeded an hundred yards, when Julien*s voice called
our attention to the precarious situation in which he
was placed. He had been by an accident detained
in the rear, and being separated a short distance
from the party, he was now entirely surrounded by
the Indians, who appeared determined to strip him
of every thing, and by pulling at his blanket, bridle,
&c. they had nearly unhorsed him. Several of us,
of course, at this critical juncture turned our horses
to assist him, and a soldier who was nearest pre-
pared his rifle to begin" the onset. Observing our
attitude, many of the Indians were in a moment pre-
pared for battle, by placing their arrows across their
bows. And a skirmish would no doubt have ensued,
had not the partizan, observing our determination,
and influenced perhaps by gratitude for the presents
he had received, called off his men from Julien, and
permitted us, without any further futile molestation,
to proceed on our way.

In consequence of the des^rate situation of this
party, we could not entertain a doubt that they
would attempt to capture our horses during the
night, and to appropriate to themselves our personal
equipments. We therefore continued our movement
until a later hour than usud j md after a day's journey
o£ twenty-two miles, during which we saw but three
trees, we encamped on a selected position^ and made
the best arrangements in oi^r power to repulse a
night attack. The horsed Were staked as near to
each other and to ourselves as possible ; the packs
were arranged in a semicircular line of defence, and
each man reposed on his private baggsige ; the guard
was doubled, and we remained wakeful during the

76

night No alarm, however, occurred; and in the
morning,

Sunday 13th, set out early. Our way led over a
luxuriant bottom of from three to twelve miles in
breadth, producing a luxuriant growth of grasses,
now glittering with drops of collected dew ; crossed
a creek which is destitute of timber, as far as the
eye can trace its course. The depth of the water
being to all appearance considerable, it became
necessary to seek a fording-place, which was found
about a mile above its confluence. It was here knee^
deep, flowing with a moderate current over a bed of
sand and gravel, the surface of the water being de-
pressed only about four feet below the general level.
About an hundred yards beyond its confluence, we
observed a canal of water backed up from the river,
which, from a little distance, gave a double appear-
ance to the creek. We remained here until a large
elk, which had been shot, was cut up, and the^meat
packed upon the horses. At our mid-day resting-
place were a few trees, and some elevated sand-hills,
but as the situation was not an eligible one for the
protection of the horses from Indian depredation, we
moved a few miles further, and encamped, as usual,
on the bank of the river. The day had been very
sultry, with an extreme temperature of 95 degrees,
and the evening was accompanied by a display of
lightning in the north-western horizon.

The bisons are y^t numerous, and the white wolves
also abundant ; packs of the flatter are still heard
to howl about our camp in the night, thus respond-
ing to the harsh bellowing or grunting of the bulls.
Our dogs, that formerly took part in this wild and
savage concert, by barking fiercely in return, no
longer rouse us from our sleep by noticing it

Monday, 14th. A slight dew had fallen ; the wind
was S.S.E., nearly calm ; and our morning's journey
was arduous, in consequence of the great neat of the
atmosphere. Our dog^, these two or three days past.

77

had evidently followed us with difficulty. Caesar, a fine
mastiff, and the larger of the two, this morning trotted
heavily forwards, and threw himself down directly
before the first horse in the line ; the rider turned
his horse aside, to avoid doing injury to the dog ;
but had he noticed the urgency of this eloquent
appeal of the animal for a halt, it would not have
passed unregarded. The dog, finding this attempt
to draw attention to his sufferings unavailing, threw
himself successively before two or three other horses,
but still failed to excite the attention he solicited,
until a soldier in the rear observed that his respira-
tion was excessively laborious, and his tongue to a
great length depended from his widely extended
mouth. He therefore took the dog upon his horse
before him, ' intending to bathe him in the river,
which, however, being at the distance of half a mile,
the poor exhausted animal expired in his arms before
he reached it. To travellers in such a country, any
domesticated animal, however abject, becomes an
acceptable companion; and our dogs, besides their
real usefulness as guards at night, drew our atten-
tion in various ways during the day, and became
gradually so endeared to us, that the loss of Caesar
was felt as a real evil.

The afternoon continued sultry, the extreme heat
being 97 degrees. Towards evening a brisk N. E.
wind appeared to proceed from a nimbus which
was pouring rain in that direction, and produced
so instantaneous and great a change in the atmo-
spheric temperature, that we were obliged to button
up to the chin j but it refreshed and revived us all.
As we were now approaching a well-wooded creek,
we hoped soon to assuage our • impatient thirst, but
great was the mortification, upon arriving at the naked
bank, to see a dry bed of gravel of at least fifty yards
in breadth. Crossing this inhospitable tract, which
appears to be occasionally deluged with water, with
the intention of passing down the opposite bank to

78

the river, we were agreeably surprised to discover
a fine limpid stream of cool flowing water, mean-
dering through a dense growth of trees and bushes,
which had before concealed it from view. Here we
remarked the honey locust and button-wood (pla-
tanus occidentalis), though the principal growth was
cotton- wood, elm, and ash. This stream of water,
we believe, is known to a few hunters, who have
had an opportunity to visit it, by the name of Little
Arkanscu

The distance of the day's journey was twenty-three
miles, duringwhich but a single prairie dog village was
seen, and proved to be the last one that occurred on
the expedition. Partridges and prairie fowls were
numerous.

Tuesday, 15th. Much lightning occurred during
the night, pervading the eastern heavens nearly from
N. to S. At a distance of a mile from encampment,
we crossed a timbered ravine, and further on, a small
creek ; when, upon looking back on our right, we saw
the appearance of an Indian village situated near the
confluence of the Little Arkansa with the river.
Inspired with hope, we. turned towards the spot ; but
on arriving there, it proved to be a large hunting
camp, which had probably been occupied during the
preceding season. It exhibited a more permanent
aspect than three others that occurred on our route of
the three past days ; much bark covered the boweries ;
and a few pumpkins, water-melons, and some maize,
the seeds of which had fallen from unknown
hands, were fortuitously growing as well within as
without the rude frail tenements. Of the maize, we
collected enough to furnish out a very slight but ex-
tremely grateful repast, and the water-melons were
eaten in their unripe state.

Resuming our ride, we crossed three branches of
a creek, in one of which two of the horses entered in
a part not fordable, and as the banks were steep and
miry, it .was with much exertion and delay that they

10

79

were recovered. Oak and walnut trees abound upon
this creek, besides elm, ash, and locust. A king-fisher
(alcedo alcyon) was also seen. The extreme heat was
rather more intense than that of the preceding day, the
mercurial column standing for a time at 97i degrees.
The blu£&, hitherto more or less remote from the bed
of the river, now approach it so closely as to render
it necessary to pursue our course over them. On
ascending upon the elevated prairie, we observed that
it had assumed a different appearance, in point of fer-
tility, from that which we had been familiar with nearer
to the mountains ; and although the soil is not yet
entirely concealed from the view by its produce, yet
the grass is from six inches to one foot in height.

But five bisons were seen to-day, a privation which
communicates a solitary air to this region, when com-
pared with the teeming plains over which we have
passed, and of which these animals formed the chief
feature.

Our distance this day on a straight line may be
estimated at 14^ miles, though the actual travelled
distance was much more considerable.

During the space of one month, our only regular
food, besides meat, has been coarsely ground parched
maize meal, of which a ration of one gill per day
was shared to each individual. This quantity was
thrown into common stock, and boiled with the meat,
into a kind of soup. This meal is nutritious, portable
not subject to spoil by keeping a reasonable length of
time, and is probably to be preferred, as a substitute
for bread, to other succedanea, by travellers in an
uncivilised country. Our store of meal, however, was
now exhausted, and we were obliged to resort to a
small quantity of mouldy crumbs of biscuit, which
had been treasured up for times of need.

At night almost incessant lightning coruscated in
the north-western horizon.

Wednesday, 1 6th. Several showers of rain, with
much thunder and vivid lightning, fell during the

so

night, and the early morning continued showery;
but the clouds were evidently undergoing the change
from nimbus to cirrostratus, in this instance the har-
bingers of a fine day. Several ravines occurred on
the morning's journey, containing, in the deeper parts
of their beds, pools of standing water. The first was
of consideralile size, with steep banks, and thickly
wooded, as far up its course as the vision extended ;
the trees were principally oak, some walnut, elm,
ash, mulberry, button-wood, cotton-wood, and willow.

A horse presented by the Kiawa chief could not
be prevailed upon to traverse this occasional water-
course ; he evaded the attempts of several men to
urge him forward; and after beitig thus fruitlessly
detained a considerable space of time, the animal
was shot. If he had been abandoned, he must have
perished for want of water, having been accidentally
deprived of sight, and more certainly, as that fluid,
so indispensable for the support of the animal's life,
was here of difficult access.

At the ravine, which served as a halting place
during the mid-day heats, we first observed the plant
familiarly known in the settlements by the name of
poke (Phytolacca decandria), reclining over the banks
with its fecundity, in the midst of a crowded assem-
blage of bushes, and partially shading a limpid pool
that mantled a rocky bed below. A large species of
mushroom, of the puff'-ball kind, was not uncommon,
nearly equal in size to a man's head.

We have now passed the boundary of the summer
bison range ; and the wolves, those invariable attend-
ants on that animal, are now but rarely seen. The
antelopes also have disappeared. The river banks,
as well as the creeks and some ravines, from near the
Little Arkansa, are pretty well wooded, with but few
interruptions, and in many parts sufficiently dense,
but always, as yet, strictly limited to skirting those
watercourses.

81

During the aflernoon we crossed numerous ravines,
some of which, judging by the infallible ' indications
of dried grass and floated wood lodged on high in
the croches of the trees, poured down at certain sea-
sons large volumes of water from the prairies into
the river.

Near our evening encampment, but on the oppo*
site side of the river, appeared the entrance of a large
creek, of the width of 90 or 100 yards, and of con-
siderable depth ; it seems to be well wooded, and its
course is nearly parallel to the river for a great dis-
tance before it discharges into it. This stream is
called Red river fork, its waters are turbid, opaque,
and red ; great numbers of fresh water tortoises^
closely allied to the testudo geographica of Le Sueur,
inhabit the basin formed by the entrance of this
stream immediately below its junction. The bluffs
on that side are washed by the stream of the river.

The bottom land, on the left bank, is still confined
to a narrow strip. The sun having been, during the
chief part of the day, obscured by an interrupted
sheet of cirrostratus, and a brisk N. E. wind prevail-
ing, rendered the day temperate and agreeable. Tra-
velled distance miles nineteen and a half.

Thursday, 17th. Having been entirely unsuccess-
ful in hunting since the 13th instant, we remained in
our position during the morning, and sent out four
hunters to procure fresh meat ; but towards noon
they all returned with but three turkies, of which
two were young ; they saw no deer, but much elk
sign.

At two o'clock proceeded onward, upon a slightly
undulated prairie, over which the eye roves to a great
distance without impediment. Indeed the surface of
the country, which extends along the upper portions
of the Platte and Arkansa rivers, is generally less
undulated than tiiat which extends on either side of
the Missouri.

VOL. III. G

82

The ravines which intersected our path were not
so extensive or profound as those of yesterday, and
in one of them we observed the common eider (sam-
bucus).

Should military possession ever be taken of this
elevated country, eligible positions might readily be
selected for military posts, at several different points
below the Little Arkansa, where the blufis almost im<<

Eend over the river. Such a position was occupied
y our evening encampment This bluff is nak^dt
of a gently rounded surface, presenting a hi^h ringed
and inaccessible front upon the river, which it Com^
i]siands ,to a considerable distance in both directions*
An adequate supply of wood, for fuel and architect
tural purposes, is offered by a ravine, which flanks its
lower side, and by other points.

Two fawns were killed during this afternoon's
journey of twelve miles, and a black bear was seen*
The bitter apple vine occurred now but rarely.

Friday, 18th. The inequality of the surface in-
creases as we proceed, the undulations being now
much more abrupt and considerable, belted near their
summits with a rocky stratum, and assuming much
the same character with those spoken of in the ac^
count of our expedition to the Konza village. This
stratum, which is of gray and ferruginous isandston^
contains petrifactions of marine shells, so complefaely
assimilated with the matrix in which they repose,
and decomposing so entirely simultaneously with it^
when exposed to atmospheric action, that even their
generic characters cannot be recognised. Amongst
other appearances, however, we observed a bivalve,
which seemed to differ from terebratula and its ccm-
geners.

At the distance of eleven miles we crossed a smaH
river, flowing with a very gentle current ovear ^
gravelly bed, with a breadth of fifty or sixty yar^
and an extreme depth of three feet ; we have named

9

83

it Little NeoshOf or Stinking Fork. Its western bottom
is of very considerable width, well wooded with the
before mentioned description of trees, in addition to
which the hackberry here first appears, and support-
ing a crowded undergrowth of pea-vines, nettles, and
rank weeds, which obstruct the passage of the tra-
veller. The eastern bank, upon which our noon-day
encampment was established, was high rock and
predpitous, requiring considerable exertion to sur-
mount it.

Here the organic reliquiae are somewhat more dis-
tinct than those which we examined on the opposite
side of this secondary river. They are referable to
those generally extinct genera that inhabited the
great depths of the primeval ocean. Amongst them
we recognized a smooth species of anomia .of the
length of half an inch, a species of terebratula, an
em^rinus, and numerous insulated species of a Lio-
naean echinus.

At two <jj*clock pursued our Journey, under an ex-
treme heat of 92 degrees, which was hardly mitigated
hy the gentle fanning of a slight S. E. breeze. The
itppearance of the country here undergoes a some»
\imat abrupt change. Low scrubby oaks, the pre-
vailing timber, no longer exclusively restricted, as
we liave hitherto obsej:ved it, to a mere margin of n
watercourse, now was seen extending in little clusters
or oases, in the low grounds. In the ravines, which
are numerous, profound, abrupt, and rocky, we ob-
served the hickory (caria of Nuttall), which had not
before occurred since our departure from the forest
of the Missouri. The bluffs are steep and stony, ren-
dering the journey much more laborious to our horses,
that were almost exhausted by, traversing a plain
country, and their hoofs, already very much worn by
constant friction with the grass, will, we fear, be
splintered and broken by the numerous loose and
angular stones which they cannot avoid. Near the
summits of some of these bluffs the stratum of rock

G 2

84

assumes an appearance of such extraordinary regu-
larity, as to resemble an artificial wall, constructed
for the support of the superincumbent soil, .

At the distance of eight miles from the small river
before mentioned we encamped for the night, on the
east side of a creek which we call Little Verdigrise.

It is about forty yards in breadth, and not so deep as
the Little Neosho ; its bed is gravelly, but the foot o^
each bank is so miry that we experienced some dif-
ficulty in crossing. There is but a slight skirting of
forest, which denotes to the distant spectator the lo-
cality of this creek.

One of the hunters returned with the information
of his having discovered a small field of maize, occu-
pying a fertile spot, at no great distance from the
camp ; it exhibited proofs of having been lately vi-
sited by the cultivators ; a circumstance which leads
us to believe, that an ascending column of smoke,
seen at a distance this afternoon, proceeded from an
encampment of Indians, whom, if not a war-party,
we should now rejoice to meet. We took the liberty,
agreeably to the customs of the Indians, of procuring
a mess of the corn, and some small but nearly ripe
water-melons, that were also found growing there,
intending to recompense the Osages for them, to
whom we supposed they belonged. During the night
Sff% were visited by a slight shower of rain from the
S.W., accompanied by distant thunder.

.1 •%

I . . . >.

i J c

• 'V^ .*.. •• »■ T\

85

CHAPTER VI.

INDIAN HUNTINa ENCAMPMENT. BRACKISH WATER. —

THE PARTY PRESSED BY HUNGER. FORKED-TAILED

- n.YCATCHER. — AN ELEVATED^ ALMOST MOUNTAINOUS^

RANGE OF COUNTRY.— 'DESERTION OF THREE MEN. RED

l^ATER.

Saturday, 19th. Several small Gorn fields were
seen this morning along the creek. At a short dis-
tance from our place of encampment we passed an
Indian camp that had a more permanent aspect than
any we had before seen near this river. The boweries
were more completely covered, and a greater pro-
portion of bark was used in the construction of them.
They are between sixty and seventy in number.
Well-worn traces, or paths, lead in various directions
from this spot ; and the vicinity of the corn fields
induces the belief that it is occasionally occupied by
a tribe of Indians, for the purposes of cultivation as
well as of hunting.

The increasing quantity of forest, partially ob-^
scuring the course of the river, renders it now no
easy task to trace its inflexions.

Afler proceeding twelve miles over a rugged count
try, at present destitute of water, we were rejoiced
to find at our dining-place a puddle of stagnant rain-
water, which had been protected from the action of
the sun by the elevated and almost impending bank
of the ravine in which it was situated, and which,
though mantled o*er with green, was yet cool and
grateful to our pressing thirst.

We lefl our cool and shady retreat, and again
betook ourselves to the prairies, under a temperature
q£ 96 degrees. Our remaining dog. Buck, had beent

G 3

86

since the regretted death of his companion^ treated
with all the kindness and attention due to a humble
friend. He was ver}^ frequently accommodated with
a ride on horseback before one of the men when he
betrayed unusual exhaustion. But notwithstanding
all such attentions, for which he seemed touched with
the feelings of gratitude, he experienced Cassar's
fate, and was necessarily abandoned*

The evening encampment was pitched upon a
luxuriant grassy plain on the margin of the river. On
tasting the water, it was perceived to be slightly saline,
though the proportion of that condiment was not so
considerable as to render it unpleasant to the palate.
This saline intermixture is, no doubt, due to the Red
river fork, inasmuch as the river, above the entrance
of that stream, appeared entirely destitute of saline
contamination, and no stream enters on this side in
which the slightest apparent degree of brackishnesft
is to be detected by the taste.

The cotton tree is less numerous in this vicinity
than we have seen it higher up the river, and being
intermixed with other trees, forms but an insignifi-
cant feature of the forest.

Sunday, 20th. Heavy rain, accompanied with
much thunder and lightning, commenced early in the
night, and continued until day-light this morning.
Hunters who had been sent out detained us until nine
o'clock, when they returned unsuccessful ; in con-
sequence of which, and of our having made a spar-
ing meal last evening on a turkey that had been snot,
we were obliged to depart fasting on our way.

The ravines were muddy and their banks slippery
in consequence of the rain ; we had, however, the
good fortune to fall upon an Indian trace, which
complied with our proper direction, and which indi-
cated the best points at which the gullies might be
passed. In its course it conducted us to a creek
which was pouring down a torrent of water. H&rt
yras an encampment that had obviously been occis

pied within a day or two, there being fresh rinds of
water-melons strewed about it.

One of the party, on attempting to cross this creek,
was thrown into the water, in consequence of his
horse having plunged suddenly beyond his depth ; he
however avoided being carried down with the rapid
current, by seizing the depending bough of a tree ;
the horse also was fortunately saved ; by taking a
different direction, we all passed over without further
casualty.

But we were unable to trace any farther the party
that we thus ascertained to have so recently preceded
us, their footsteps being here entirely obliterated by
the rain.

At the distance of sixteen miles we encamped at
an early hour on the bank of the river, and sent out
hunters, who, however, after examining the vicinity,
returned unsuccessful. Our three meals were there-
fore again, by stern necessity, reduced to a single
frugal one, and our table, the soil, was set with
a few mouldy biscuit crumbs, boiled in a large quan-
tity of water, with the nutritious addition of some
grease. Julien, who had been despatched for the
peace flag, which was casually left at a ravine, to
our great satisfaction returned with a skunk or pole-
cat, that he had fortunately killed. This we deter-
mined to preserve for a feast to-morrow.

Monday, 21st. One of our horses strayed away
last night, and could not now be found, we there-
fore set out without him, and as usual without break-
fasting. The Indian trace was again discovered, and
pursued about nine miles to the dining place at noon..
Here we were obliged to have recourse for food to
a little treasured store of dried bjson meat, whicb„
when all issued, amounted to the pittance of two
ounces per man ; this, added to the soup maigre of
the skunk, and a half pint of the crumbs of bread,
a£brded a tolerably good though far &om abundant
meal.

G 4

S8

Proceeded on under an extreme atmospheric temp^^
rature of 90 degrees ; several deer were seen, but they
proved to be so shy, that our hunters, perhaps through
over-eagerness, did not succeed in approaching them
within gun shot. After accomplishing a distance of
ten miles, we pitched our camp on the river bank.
Here the stream turns rather abruptly to the east,
after having preserved a southerly and south of west
direction for a considerable distance. A considerable
stream of water, called Nesuhetonga, or Grand Sa-
line creek, flows into the river at this point, nearly
opposite to our camp.

Supped on a few bread crumbs boiled in water*
A black wolf, the first seen since our departure from
the Missouri, made his appearance in the distance.

Tuesday, 22d. Three of the horses having strayed
detained us until eight o'clock, when a fall of rain
commenced, which continued duringthe morning, and
wet us thoroughly to the skin. A few hostile Indians,
aware of the state of our fire-arms, might perhaps
have disappointed our hopes of a safe return to the
settlements, if, in their attack, their bow-strings could
have been preserved from the effects of the rain, which
tends greatly to relax them.

A note like that of the prairie dog for a moment
induced the belief that a village of the marmot was
near j but we were soon undeceived by the appearance
of the beautiful tyrannus forficatus in full pursuit of a
crow. Not at first view recognising the bird, the fine
elongated tail plumes, occasionally diverging in a
furcate manner, and again closing together, to give
direction to the aerial evolutions of the bird, seemed
like the extraneous processes of dried grass, or twigs
of a tree, adventitiously attached to the tail, and in-
fluenced by currents of wind. The feathered warrior
flew forward to a tree, from whence, at our too near
approach, he descended to the earth at a little dis-
tance, continuing at intervals his chirping note. This
bird seems to be rather rare in this region, and as the

89

very powder within the barrels of our guns was wet^
we were obliged to content ourselves with only a dis-
tant view of the bird.

The river margin, on which we now hold our course^
is narrow and fertile, supporting a tolerably thick
growth of mossy cup oaks, with walnut, cotton- wood^
elm, and much underwood, through which it is some-
times rather difficult to force a passage. The river is
now more serpentine in its course than it was re-
marked to be nearer the mountains, but it is here
wide and still, thickly studded with sand-bars.

One of the hunters rescued the body of a smalt
fawn from the wolves that had killed and embowelled
it. This afforded us all a good dinner, and as we had
in the morning drawn upon our almost exhausted
store of sweet corn for a gill to each man as a break-
fast, we are to-day comparatively well-fed.

Near our evening encampment was a large old
Indian hunting camp. Our distance to-day nineteen
miles.

Wednesday, 23d. Set out again fasting, and pur-
sued our journey over a beautiful open level bottom.
The bluffs on our left, of but moderate Jieight, were
partially clothed with oaks, and the river on the
right skirted with the cotton tree. But a single ra-
vine crossed our morning route. At eleven o'clock
the mercury in the thermometer indicated 93 de-
grees.

At the distance of about two miles from our resting-
place of noon we again halted and pitched the tents,
in anticipation of a violent storm, as a nimbus of
an unusually menacing aspect was otherwise an-
nounced by wind and thunder, and seemed rapidly
approaching from the south. In order to avail our-
selves of this delay, the hunters were sent out to en-
deavour to procure some food. But as the storm
passed round, they were soon recalled, bringing with
them the seasonable supply of tour turkies. On the
subsequent part of this day we passed over a small

90

stream, which we call Bitter Apple Creek, with but
a slow.moving current, of the width of about ten
yards, and three feet deep. Its bed was so muddy
that two of the pack-horses were mired, but
were finally brought out. We then ascended into
the prairie, from which, after labouring over an al-
most continual succession of ravines, we passed down
to the river bank^ and encamped for the night, having
travelled about twenty miles. Numerous deer were
seen to-day, but they were very shy.

The last bitter apple vine that occurred on the
expedition was seen to-day. We were once again
saluted by the note of the blue jay. The pine
warbler (sylvia pinus) also occurred.

Thursday, 24th. As the high prairies offered al-
most continually a succession of steep and rugged
ravines, which called for too much exertion for our
horses to pass them, it was determined to endeavour
to force our way through the underwood of the bot-
toms. These we found to be now so intricate, that
in many places it was really difficult to force a pas-
sage through the intertwined briers and climbing
plants. Our progress was, however, at length alto-
gether interrupted by a deep and miry sluice of the
river over which no ford could be found. Fortu*-
nately, however, the sandy bed of the river itself
offered a sufficiently firm footing to enable us to pass
round the obstacle. Tired of the brambles, we again
sought the prairie, and, ascending an elevated hill,
enjoyed a fine view of the river in its meanders to a

freat distance ; but the place of destination, Belle
oint, which we now all anxiously look out for, was
BOt yet in sight.

A journey of nine miles and three quarters brought
us to a large stream of clear water, but hardly percep-
tible current, passing over a bed of rock and mud j
the banks were steep and high, and afforded us a very
pleasant resting-place during the presence of the
mid-day heats. A flock pf paroquets flew over our

heads, utterins their loud note, with their usual lo«
quacity. The kingfisher was flying from one withered
support to another, over the surface of the creek,
and occasionally darting into the water in pursuit of
some little scaly victim ; and a large white crane
(ardea egretta of Wilson) stalked with slow and
measured strides in the shallows of the creek.
A glass snake (ophisaurus ventralis) approached too
near us, and was captured.

In the afternoon small cumulus clouds arose in the
horizon, and we again put forward under a tempera-
ture of 95 degrees. Three miles farther a large
ravine occurred, containing much water in the
deeper parts of its bed, but dry at intervals ; it is
wooded as tax as we can trace it with the eye, and in
the season of floods must discharge a large volume of
water at its confluence, which is distant about five
miles from the creek crossed this morning.

We passed by several singular natural elevations,
with conical summits, and halted early to hunt, for
which purpose four men were sent out, who returned
with two turkies, which furnished us with a very
light supper.

Friday, 25th. Remained encamped in order to
give the hunters, an opportunity to procure some
game. We had nothing for breakfast or dinner, and
as our meals a few days past had been few and slight,
we have become impatient under the pressure of
hunger ; a few fresh-water muscles (unio), two or three
small fishes, and a tortoise which had been found in
the mud of the ravine, were roasted and eaten, with-
out that essential condiment salt, of which we had
been for some time destitute. The hunters so
anxiously looked for at length returned, bringing
but three ducks (anas sponsa) ; one of them had shot
down three deer, but they all escaped.

As we have no idea of our distance from Belle
Point, and know not what extent of country we are
doomed to traverse in the state of privation to which

92

we have of late been subjected, we have selected^
from our miserable horses, an Individual to be
slaughtered for food, in case of extremity of absti-
nence ( and upon which, although very lean, we can-
not forbear to cast an occasional wishful glance*

Bijeau, before he parted from us, urged by his
wishes for our safety, drew for our inrormation a
sketch of the country over which we had to pass, as
far as he had travelled in that direction on a former
occasion, which sketch was terminated by two large
streams entering the river near to each other, and
diverging in the opposite direction. As the remark-
able relative course of these two streams, as repre*^
sented by Bijeau, corresponded to sufficient exact-
ness with the representation of the Verdigrise and
Grand rivers, which terminated a sketch which
Major Long drew to depict the country from Belle
Point upwards, we believed that by joining the two
sketches we had a complete view of the country
before us, as far as the settlements. Bijeau's sketch
proved to be a pretty faithful transcript of the coun-
try, as far as the two watercourses that we passed
on the 18th instant ; which, as they terminated his
map, we| then supposed were, of course, the Verdi-
grise and Grand rivers. But not being able to recog-
nise in Major Long's draft one single feature of the
region we have since traversed, we finally concluded,,
eimer that we had not yet arrived at the true Verdigrise
river, or that we had passed by our place of destina-
tion without perceiving it. In this state of uncer-
tamty it was determined to continue our course with
as much speed as the exhausted situation of ou^
horses would permit, with the hope of soon arriving
at some settlement, where we might obtain the proper
direction.

The greatest heat of the day was 97 degrees. Two
hunters were this evening sent forwards to encamp,
and hunt early in the morning. Another flock of
paroquets were seen to day.

93

Saturday, 26th. Penetrated through an intricate
bottom of bushes^ interlaced by vines and briers, the
timber chiefly oak. The hunters had procured
nothing; but Lieut. Swift had the good fortune to
kill a fine buck, and one of the hunters afterwards a
turkey. These were a happy alleviation to us, and at
our noon halting-place we enjoyed the rare luxury of
a full meal. At this position was a large ravine, con-
taining much water of the depth of two feet and a
half, and width of twenty or twenty-five yards, but
without any visible current ; its bed was muddy, and
in some places rocky.

^ The journey of the afternoon was equally intricate
with that of the morning ; our way led along the fer-
tile but narrow eastern margin of the ravine, or as it
would be called in the settlements of the Arkansa,
bayou, and immediately on our left ascended the
abrupt and rocky ridge of the bluff.

After a fatiguing journey of 19 miles we encamped
on the river bank, in a fine clear bottom, surrounded
semicircularly by the forest. The plum-bushes, which
abound in the country through which we have for
several days been travelling, are generally killed,
probably by conflagration, their black and defoliated
branches strongly contrasted with the verdure around
them ; to-day, however, we met with some which had
escaped uninjured, and which afforded a few ripe
plums.

Sunday, 27th. The river bottom becoming very
narrow, obliged us to ascend upon the high grounds,
which we found to be little less than mountainous,
often rocky and steep, and, as usual, intersected by
profound ravines. Mr. Swift having succeeded in
killing another deer, we halted, after a journey of
twelve miles, in order to jerk the meat which we now
possessed, and to rest the horses, whose feet were
bruised and broken by the fragments of rock.

The corporal did not join us until evening. , The
horse which he had rode became so exceedingly feeble

94

as to be no longer able to support the weight of his
rider, who therefore dismounted, and atte9ipted to
drive him on befc^e him. In spite of his utmost en^
deavours the horse proceeded so dowly that the cor-
pwal was obliged to forsake him, in order to seek
our trail, which he had lost on the rocks over which
we had pa^ed. Not being able to r^;ain the trail,
aiabd supposing we had directed our course towards
the river, he wandered along its margin to a cosi^
sideraUe distance, until almost exhausted with fatigue
aad vexation. He at length ascended a considerate
hill which conimanded a view of the country aaroun^
firooa which he had the satisfaction to see a colunfm of
amK^ rising above the forest at a 4istance. This
msre indication he had pursued, until approaching with
much caution, he was overjoyed to ascertain that 1^
beacon was no x>ther than the smoke from our n^eat-
drying process. Supposing that the horse would 4>e
able to travel after having rested during tibe night,
the corporal was directed to accompany Julien to the
Bpot where he had been left, and to bring him on in
the morning.

We availed ourselves of this leisure-time to mend
our horse-gear, clothes, and mockasins.

In the evening a slight fall of rain took place, ac-
companied by thunder in the N. E., which at night
became heavy and loud.

Monday, 28th. The horse that gave out yesterday
was brought in, together with two others that had
strayed, and for which we were hunting. We were
now traversing a high ridge of country, which, at
many points may be safely estimated at five biindred
feet above the surface of the river, and wooded to a
great distance from that stream.

In the afternoon, having descended to the rivei:,
we again laboured through the difficulties of dense
underwood, which such produc-tive soib usually pre-
sent, until towards evening, when we had the happi-
neis to see a wdl-worn Indian path which had been

96

interrupted by the river, and now took a direction
towards oiu* left. Wishing to pursue this route, as
well for the facility of travelling as with the hope of
soon arriving at some Tndian town, we readily per-
suaded ourselves that it deviated from the course we
were pursuing only in compliance with the inequali-
ties of the country. With little hesitation, ther^ore,
we struck into the path, and night gathered around us
before we threw ourselves supperless upon the ground
to repose, after a fatiguing march of about twenty-one
miles, during which the greatest degree of heat was 92.

Several small flocks of the common wild pigeons
flew by us, both yesterday and to-day, in a southerly
direction.

Tuesday, 29th. After some detention in seeking
a troublesome horse that had strayed, we again pro-
ceeded forward ^stiog. This abstinence, to which
we have been several times subjected, affects one of
our party in a singular and uniform manner ; hh
voice becomes hollow-toned, and his hearing muc^
impaired, a state ti»at is popularly knomi, as he ex-
presses it, by the phrase of the almonds of the ear$
being down.

We pursued the Indian path a considerable dis-
tance this morning ; but as its course continued its
divergence from tl^ river, and we were fearftil of
deviating too far, we abandoned it, aiid by an oblique
course endeavoured to regain the river. Here, how-
ever," the undergrowth being almost impervious, in-
duced our return to the path, which we again attained
near an Indian hunting camp of the past season, si-
tuated in a beautiful prairie, near a gentiy swelling
hill.

Here finding a little water in a r&vine puddle, we
halted, and served out a stinted ration of dried meat
to each individual instead of dinner^ which, so far
from gratifying, tended to stimulate our desire Of
food.

96

' Having been some days entirely destitute of ta>
bacco in any shape, those of the party who are ha*>
bituated to the use of it experienced an additional
formidable privation. One of the men, who was
erroneously supposed to have still a remnant of the
precious stimulant in his possession^ was heard to
reply to an earnest and most humble petition for a
small taste of it, or to be allowed to apply his tongue
to it : — *^ Every man chaws his own tobacco, and them
that hasn't any chaws leaves/'

During the prevalence of the greatest heat of the
day, which was 9"^ degrees, we again set forward,
and passed over a gently undulated surface, isupport-
ing an open forest^of young and scrub oak, intermixed
with hickory. In the course of a few miles we
arrived at the edge of this forest, which here crowned
a much elevated region. It was in fact higher in
proportion to the surface before us than any other
portion of the country we had seen on this iside of
the mountains. The eye from this height roved over
1^ vast distance of prairie, and comparatively plain
country ; and it was evident that we bad now passed
the billy and even mountainous country, which we
have of late been traversing. A few hills still inter-
rupted the continuity of surface below, more parti-
cularly on the right of the landscape towards the
river. Not a human being was yet to be perceived,
nor a single trait indicative of their present existence.
It seemed for a moment that our little cavalcade
alone was endowed with the vital principle, and that
the vegetable world held a silent and solitary do-
minion. Belle Point still evades our sight; we might
have passed it, or it may still be very far before lis 9
yet we can no longer struggle through the tangled
underwood that encloses the river, nor pick oqr pas-
sage amongst the loose stones of the bluffs, in order
to preserve an uninterrupted view of the bank of^th^
river upon which that post is established. From this

07

position the path winds rather abruptly downAvard,
and, at a little distance on the plain^ conducted us
through an abandoned Indian hunting camp.

The horse that gave out on Sunday, having been
since both packed and rode, this afternoon sunk
under his rider to the ground^ and resisted our ef*
forts to induce him to rise. As he appeared to be
entirely exhausted, we reluctantly abandoned him*
fie had been a sprightly, handsome, and serviceable
animal, and was chosen from a considerable number of
horses, and presented to Mr. Say, by Major O'Fallon^
when at the Pawnee villages.

After a day's Journey of twenty-two miles, a favour-
able situation tor an encampment offering timely at
a site which appeared to have been occupied by a
tribe of Indians during the late winter, induced us
to pitch the tents^ and prepare for the night. And
Lieutenant Swift, whose dexterity as a marksman had
previously relieved us in times of need, now suc-
ceeded in killing a turkey for our evening meal*

Wednesday, 30th. We pursued the path about ten
miles farther, with the hope of its soon terminating
at some Indian village ; but as it continued to di-
verge too widely from our apparent true course, we
once again relinquished it, and turned towards the
river, which we expected to regain in the course of
a few miles, by tracing down the opposite bank of a
large ravine, which now presented itself.

At our resting place of noon the banded rattle-
snake (C. horridus) occurred, and five young turkies
were procured by the hunters.
. Resuming our journey, it soon became obvious
that the ravine we were tracing did not discharge
into the Arkansa, but into some large tributary of
that river, and which, from an elevated ground, we
could distinctly see meandering to a great distance
on the left, Ajaother Indian path was now disco-
vered, which by its direction seemed to comply with
pur jp)roper course. It led us to recross the ravine,

VOL. III. H

98

with its most luxuriant growth of tree^, bushes^ and
weeds. On emerging from this intricate maze we
observed a large column of smoke arising in the
south-east, as if from the conflagration of some entire
prairie. This occurrence, combined with the effects
of a large burning in the vicinity of our evening
encampment, that seemed very recent, and the ap-
pearance of the well-worn pathways, inspired us with
a renewed expectation of soon meeting with human
beings, and of arriving at some permanent Indian
village.

The highest temperature of the day was 95 degrees.
Our distance this afternoon was ten miles.

Thursday, 3 1 st. We arose early, and on looking
at the horses that were staked around the camj^,
three of the best were missing. Supposing that thegr
had strayed to a distance, inquiry was made of tm
corporal respecting them ; who answered that three
of the men were absent, probably in pursuit of them,
and added, that one of those men who chanced to be
last on guard had neglected to awaken him to per-
form his duty on the mOming watch. Forster, a
faithful, industrious soldier, and who, in performing
the culinary services for the party, had not lately
been laboriously occupied, now exclaimed, that his
knapsack had been robbed ; and upon examining our
baggage, we were mortified to perceive that it also
had been overhauled and plundered during the night*
But we were utterly astounded to find that our sad-
die bags, which contained our clothing, Indian pre-
sents, and manuscripts, had also been carried off.

This greatest of all privations that could have
occurred within the range' of possibility, suspended
for a time every exertion, and seemed to fill die
measure of our trials, difficulties, and dangers;

It was too obvious that the infamous absentees^
I^olan, Myers, and Bernard, had deserted during
the night, robbing us of our best horses, and dTour
most important treasures. We endeavoured in vain

99

tc^ tmce them, as a heavy dew had fallen sinee their
d^parturei and rested upon every spear of grass alike,
land we returned from the fruitless search to numbet
nver out losses with a feeling of disconsolatenesft
Verging on despaih

Oar entire wardrobe^ with the sole exception of
the ritde clothing on our persons^ and oilr entire
private stock of Indian presents^ were included in the
saddle bag8« But their most importiant contents were
all th6 manuscripts of Mr. Say and Lieut. Swift, com^
pleted during the extensive journey from £ngineel*
Cantonment to this place. Those of the former eoti^
sifted of five books, vi2« one book of observations on the
tnanners and habits dT the Mountain Indians, andtheii*
history^ so far as it could be, obtained from the inters
platers i one book c^ notes on the manners and babitd
of animald, ^md descriptions of species ; one book
containing a journal $ two books containing vocabu^
larie&of the language of the Mountain Indians ; and
those of the latter consisted of a topographical iour-^
nal of the same portion of our expedition. All theses
being utterly useless to the wretches who now pos-
tested them, were probably thrown away upon tb^
ocean of prairie, and consequently the labour o^
months was consigned to oblivion by these unedu-
cated vandals.

Nolan, Myers, and Bernard, though selected by
the officers of Camp Missouri, with the best inten-
tions, for the purpose of accompanying our party,
proved worthless, indolent, and pusillanimous from
the beginning ; and Nolan, we ascertained, was a
notorious deserter in two former instances.

This desertion and robbery occurred at a most
unfortunate period, inasmuch as we were all much
debilitated, and their services consequently the less
dispensable on that account, in the attentions neces-
sanly due to the pack-horses, in driving these ani-
mals, loading and unloading them, &c.

H 2

100

We resumed our journey upon our Indian path*
way in silence, and at the distance of sixteen miles
we passed through the river forest, here three miles
in width, and once again encamped upon the bank
which overlooks that stream. No trace of Belle
Point, nor any appearances of civilization were yet in
view. But we were all immediately struck with the
change in the appearance of the water in the riven
No longer of that pale clay colour, to which we have
been accustomed, it has now assumed a reddish hue,
hardly unlike that of the blood of the human arteries,
and is still perfectly opaque, from the quantity of an
earthy substance of this tint, which it holds in sus-
pension ; its banks and bars are, from deposition, of
the same colour. This extraneous pigment has been
contributed by some large stream flowing in from the
opposite side, and which, in consequence of our late
aberrance, we had not seen.

The hunters returned without game, but bringing
us a few grapes and some unripe persimmons, afi of
which were eaten.

The extreme heat of the day was 95 degrees, and
in the evening thunder and lightning occurred in the
western horizon..

ioi

CHAPTER VII.

THE PARTY MEET WITH OSAGB INDIANS^ -~ SOME ACCOUNT
OF THIS NATION. — MANNER OF TAKING WILD HORSES.

Friday, September 1st. The hunters, who hadbeea*
sent out at day-light,' returned at eight o'clock agaia
unsuccessful, but after a journey of about three hours,
we had au opportunity to appease the cravings of
hunger, and halted to regale ourselves on a small,
fawn that was shot. At three o'clock proceeded ou
under the extreme atmospheric temperature of the.
day of 96 degrees, and, as the current of air was
scarcely perceptible, the day was as usual very sultry.
We were at length very agreeably surprised by hear-
ing an Indian whoop in our rear, and on looking back
a mounted Indian was observed upon a rising piece,
of ground, contemplating our movements. The
usual ceremony of displaying our flag, and deputing
an individual to assure him of the pacific nature of our
mission, induced him readily to approach ; and aftei:
some communication, he consented to encamp with us*.
He informed us that he was the son of Clermont,,
principal chief of the Osages of the Oaks, or Osage des
Chenes of the French traders ; in whose territories we
then were. Their village was at the distance of about
fifteen miles, but by far the greater portion of the
inhabitants of it were now on their way to this rivei:
for the purpose of hunting. They had heard the
report of the guns of our hunters, and, agreeably to
t^eir custom, had sent out spies, of whom he was
one, to ascertain from whom the firing proceeded ;
that he had fallen upon our tr^, and consequently
had no difficulty ia finding us, and was moi:eoyer
glad to see us« Indeed his conduct proved th$tt he

H 3

loe

entertained towards us the most friendly and gene-
rous disposition. He was not tardy in ascertaining
our wants, nor parsimonious in his attempts to relieve
them. He passed his pipe around^ a ceremony which
signifies just as much among these people as the
drinking to friendship and good fellowship does
SipgdQgst the lower classes in civilized society ; but to
as, who had been so long deprived of the use of to-
bacco, it was an intrinsic gratification. He then 1^44
before us some fine ripe blue plums; and remaking
that the small portion of fawn meaty th6A constituted
all our store, was very lean, he said that he W6uld
soon bring some more palatable food, land leaving
his pipe and tobacco pouch on the ground, with the
request that we would partake freely of both, he dis^
s^peared in the forest.

It was dusk when he returned witli afkt buck hang^
ing in pieces from his saddle j he waa accompanied
bv five or six youn^ warriors. These young men had
visited the opposite side of the river, where they-
had discovered a herd of bisons, and as they were
hastening back to Clermont with the intelligence,
they observed aur trail, whk^h they mistook A>r that
d d Pawnee war^arty, and were exerting fliekr uU
most speed homeward, when they met with our
fiiendiy Indian, who smUed when he informed ^s
of their mistake^

The remnant of our &wn had been cO(^ed» and
\«^s {MUily eaten ott their arrival, when they readily
accepted our invitation to partake of it. In return
fbr which, when their meM was prepared^ die whole
was set before us, and they respfectiully waited until
v^e w^re satisfied.

W0 now ascertained our position with respei^t to
the settlements. We were within about fbu^ dayji
march of Belle Point, and the next liarge stx^m we
would Cross was the Verdigrise.

Pirevlous to retiring to rest the Osages perfbrmfed
their vespers hy chanting in a wikl and m^neboiy

103

tone a kind of h)rmn to the Master 'of life. Very re-
mote iightmng in the SL £• horizon.

Saturday^ 2d. Our guests awakened early, and one
of them^ retiring a short distance from his companions^
began the well-known ceremony, common to this
nation, of crying aloud with a voice of lamentation,
intended probably as an invocation of the departed
spirit of a relative or friend.

Messengers were despatched before sunrise to Cler-
mont's camp, to inform that chief of the proximity of
a party of white men on this side of the river, and
of bisons on the other ; and soon afterwards the
remainder of our guests^ with the exception of one
that concluded to remain with us, departed to hunt.
Other Indians, attracted by curiosity, visited us in
the course of the day, one of whom imbrmed us, that
three men, whose appearance a^reqionded with the
description of our deserters, were now at the village ;
and that the approaching hunting party being already
apprised of their character, Clermont, who was
himself with the party, had forthwith despatched an
order to the village to have them detained there
until the decision of our chief respecting them should
be known.

This most wdcome news induced Lieutenant
Smith and Julien, accompanied by Clermont's brotiber,
and two or three of the young warriors who were
present, to set out immediate^ for the village, in
order to seize the recreants, and conduct them
to camp. Thus we were inspired with l^e most san*

guine expectations^ not only of retrieving our losses,
ut also of subjecting the offenders to that punish*
ment which was their due.

In the afternoon we had the company of numerous
Indians from the hunting party j and an individual,
that left our camp early in the m<Htiing in pursuit of
the bisons on the opposite side of the river, brought
a horse load of very lean meat. Iheir danei^our
was pacific and kind^ and they appeared disposed to

H 4

104

^erve us. They brought a considerable quantity of
plums of a blue colour, and exceedingly agreeable
taste, which were collected from trees growing in
the adjacent forest. Our cook having intimated to
one of them our want of salt, he instantly mcMinted
bis horse, and, after a short absence, returned .with a
supply. One half of the hunting party was soon
afterwards observed fording the river in a long line
about a mile below our camp j the other portion, we
were told, would cross the river at some point above
the camp to-morrow morning, and would act in con-
cert with the others, so as to surround the herd of
bisons that the^ were now going in pursuit of.

In the evenmg Mr. Swift returned unsuccessftil;
when he left us in the morning he directed his
course to Clermont's camp, which he found in the
prairie near a little impure puddle of water. He was
yery cordially and graciously received by the chief,
who invited him to partake of some food. He
assured Mr, S. of his regret at being unable to induce
any of his young men to pursue our fugitives, who, as
he had but then been informed, departed from the
village eariy in the morning. This unwillingness on
the part of his young men arose from their extreme^
anxiety to hunt the bisons, that were at this time un-
usually near ; an enjoyment which they would on na
account relinquish. iHe likewise regretted that he
was at present so circumstanced as to be unable ta
comply with his wishes by visiting our camp. " But,**
said Clermont, " if your chief will visit me at my
camp, which will be established near yours in the
evening, I will treat him well j I will present him
with as much maize and dried meat as he wants.
I will, moreover, furnish him with young men to
serve as guides, and a horse or two if he wants them>
to aid in the transportation of the baggage." Lieu,
tenant Swift assured him that we were much in want
of such assistance a^ he had proffered, and that on
our arrival at Belle Point his generosity should b^

105

requited ; but the chief declared his indifference to
,my recompence for such services. Mr. Swift fur-
iher learned that the deserters, during their short
stay at the village, had traded freely for provisions
with the trinkets they found in our saddle bags ; and
although dressed in our clothing, they appeared to
imagine themselves suspected to be not what they
seemed. This idea was * in truth well-founded ; for
the Indians observing that they retained their guns
constantly within their grasp, even when partaking
of the hospitality of the different lodges, believed
them to have committed some crime or outrage, in
consequence of which they regarded themselves as
unsafe in any asylum.

As the camp was about to move when Mr. Swift*
arrived there, he now took his leave to return, but
inadvertently deviating from the proper course, he
struck the river several miles above our camp.
Clermont, meeting with his trail, perceived at once
that he had gone astray, and immediately deputed
one of his sons to pilot him to our camp.

In the acceptation of these Indians white man and
trader seemed to be synonymous, and manv of those
who visited us importuned us much to trade for leather,
dried meat, pumpkins both dried and fresh, &c. j in
exchange for which they desired our blankets, and
even the clothing from our bodies.

The superiority of the hunting qualifications of the
Indians over those of our hunters was obvious in an
instance which occurred to day. The corporal went
to the forest for the purpose of killing a deer, and it
was not long before an Indian, who accompanied him,
pointed out one of those animals in a favourable situ-
ation. The corporal fired^ but thought he had missed
his object. The Osage, however, insisted that the
animal was mortally wounded, and advanced forward
a very considerable distance, where our hunter could
see nothing of the usual sign of blood, or trodden
grass, and found the victim dead upon the ground.

106

One of the party^ on another occasion, saw an Osage
shoot at a deer running, and wound him ; another
Indian, at a short distance further, fired at the same
deer and brought him down, both, of course, with
single ball.

The extreme heat of the day was 95 degrees.

Sunday, Sd« Our chief, who upon the invitation
of Clermont visited the Indian camp accompanied
by Julien and Clermont's son, returned this morning
with two other sons of that chief, and a handsome
young squaw, wife of one of them. His reception
was not equal to his anticipations ; Clermont, however,
and one of his sons, each presented a skin of maize ;
but that chief could not realize the almost spl^^idid
odBfers he had made of guides and horses.

Word' w?is brought to Clermont that the informa*
ticm received yesterday, of our deserters having de-
parted from the village, was incorrect, and that they
still remained there. This induced, at once, the offer
of every thing they were in possession of, with the
exception of the manuscripts alone, to any perscms
who should bring them to our camp. With this libe-
ral ofi^r Clermont himself, accompanied by Julien,
set out for the village to arrest them, but oh their
w«y a n^3senger> whom they met, asiuired them that
they had actually and finally departed this momizig.
Thus all our hopes of recovering our lost property

vwished*

The stature of the Osages that fell under our ob-^
s^rvatioQ was by no means superior to that of the
Mi^Qurl Indiajus, and in very many instances their
form esLhibited a beautiful symmetry. They do not
sc^m to differ, in point of features or colour^ from
tb@ Indians just mentioned* But the custom seems
to be 9tiU more general in this nation of shaving the
hf^aid, so as to leave only a scalp on the back part and
above^ which is> as usual> ornamented with oJver
plAtes» broocl^ and feath^s.

107

Their dreases aqd decorations are very similar to
those of the Qmawhaws, Otoes^ and Konzas ; but,
from their proximity to the settlements, they are
furnished with a great proportion of manufactured
articles from the Whites.

Their government^ so Sslt as we could ascertain,
was of the same description with that of the other
nations ; and their mannejns, though perhaps l^ss fierce
and warlike, seem to be, with the exception of their
vociferous matins, not very essentially distinct.

They have the usual armature of the bow and
arrow, ,t(Hnahawk, war^^club, and scalping-knife ; but
a laige proportion of them have fusees, and we saw
but very few who bore the lance and shield. They
are freely branded by the Missouri Indians with the
^ithet of cowards. They are, at present, in amity
with the Sauks and Foxes ; and their friendship with
the Konzas, with whom they freely intermarry, se^ns
to have been uninterrupted since the expedition of
I^ieutenant Pike.

The horses belonging to the Osages are by much
the best we have seen amongst the Indian nations,
and they are kept in the best order. The Indians
generally of this country appear to be excellent
connoisseurs of horses, and to perceive any defects
in them with a remarkable readiness. One of Cler-^
mont's sons possessed a very fine horse, for which
the Kaskaia noi?se was OjBfered, but the exchange was
refused.

Hcurses ate the oX^^nt of a particular hunt to the
O^dges. For the purposes of obtaining these animab,
which in their wild state preserve all their fleetness^
they go in a large party to the country of the Red or
Cuiadian river, whwe t^ese animals are to be £>und
in considerable numbers. When they discover a
gang> of tiie horses, they distribute themselves into
thiree parties^ tw^ <^ which station themselves at
d^i^ent and prop^ distances on the routCi which by
previous experience they Imow the horses will most

108

probably take when endeavouring to escape. This
arrangement being completed, the first party com-
mences the pursuit in the direction of their colleagues^
at whose position they at length arrive. The second
party then continues the chase with fresh horses^
and pursues the fugitives to the third party, which
generally succeeds in so far running them down as
to noose and capture a considerable number of
them.

The name of this nation, agreeably to their own
pronunciation, is Waw-sash-e ; but our border inha-
bitants speak of them under the names of Huz-zaus,
and O-saw-ses. The word Wawsashe, of three sylla-
bles, has been corrupted by the French tradersvinto
Osage ; and though the spelling of the latter has
been retained by the Americans, we have still farther
swerved from the original, by pronouncing the word
agreeably to the genius of our language.

The lodges or huts of their villages are yet covered
with the bark of trees, but it is probable that they
will adopt the more permanent and preferable archi-
tecture of dirt lodges, used by most of the Missouri
nations.

As we proceeded to load our horses at ten o'clock,

in order to continue our journey, we perceived that

several small articles of no great value had been

pilfered from us by our visitors. These are the only

losses we have sustained from Indian theft during th^

protracted journey. During the stay of our party at

Fort Osage last season, Mr. Sibley^ Indian factor at

that place, politely furnished us with the following

information respecting the Osages ; being the copy

of a report made by him to government, in the late

war with Great Britain. We present it to the reader

in Mr. Sibley's own words :

• ' " 1st, The Chancers, or band of the Arkansa,
600 men ; town situated near the mouth of the Ver-. .
digrise, a branch of the^Arkansa; Clermont first
chief.

109

<^ 2d., The Great Osages, or White Hair's band,
400 men J town situated near the head of the Osage
river ; Che-sho-hun-ga, first chief.

" Sd. The Little Osages, 250 men j town situated
on the Ne-ozho, a branch of the Arkansa j Ne-zu-
mo-nee, first chief.

" These tribes are at war witli all their neighbours,
except the Konzas, and a partof theSauks and Foxes ;
with the Konzas they are and long have been on the
most intimate and iriendly terms; Mdth the Sauks
and Foxes they are at present barely at peace«
All their chiefs (except Clermont) are very weak
and unpopular. Many of their great war captains
are in opposition to their chiefs, and have power-
ful influence in their respective tribes. Of these
are ' The Duck/ « Big Wolf,' and « John L.Foe,'
of the Great Osage ; * Sansoreille,* * Big Soldier,*
and ^ The Soldier of the Oak,' of the Little Osage.
Their council are very much distracted by the
jealousies and intrigues of the prmcipal warriors, and
for want of energy and decision in the chiefs. When
I left them last spring, my impressions were, that
the Osages were generally disposed to be at peace
with us, but they were very much dissatisfied and
displeased, and losing their former unbounded con*
fidence in us, in consequence of what they alleged
to be a failure on the part of the United States to
fulfil the treaty existing between them and the United
States. My opportunities for observation and in-
quiry concerning the temper and disposition of those
Indians were very good, and were not neglected.
And my acquaintance with the Osages being very
general (extending almost to every individual), and
of long standing (upwards of eight years), enables
me to speak confidently of them.

** In the year 1804 th^ President of the United
States gave his promise to a number of Osage chiefs,
then on a visit at Washington, to establish for them
a trading-house on the plan authorized by a law of

110

c6t)gress. In 1806 the President repeskted the sdmd

Eromise to another deputation of Odage chiefs then
ere. In 1 808 the President ordered the establish^
ment to be made, and accordingly in October of that
year it was made. So far this was a gratuitous act of
the government j but in the following month it as-
sumed a very diffb'ent character. On the 8th Novem-
ber 1808 Peter Choateau (the U. S. agent for the
Osages), arrived at Fort Clark. On the 10th he
assembled the chiefs and warriors of the Great and
Little Osages in council, and proceeded to state to
them the substance of a treaty, which he Said
Governor Lewis had deputed him to offer the Osages,
and to execute with them. Having briefly explained
to them the purport of the treaty, he addrei9»ed them
to this effect (in my hearing) and very nearly in tlie
following words : * You nave hearcf this frfeaty ^x^
plained to yoti ; those who now come forward sOxd
sign it shall be considered the friends of the United
States, and treated accordingly; those who refbse
fo come forward and sign it shall be considered ene-
mies of the United States, and treated accordingly/
The Osages replied in substance, * that if their wesii
American Father wanted a part of their land, he must
have it ; that he was strong and powerful, they wertf
poor and pitiful. What could they do ? He bad de-
manded their land, and had thought proper to ofkr
them something in return for it. They had no chotfee;
they must either sign the treaty, or be declared the
enemies of the United States.'

f^ The treaty was accordingly signed on the same
day; and so much were the Osages awed by the threat
of Mr. Choateau, that a veiy unusual number of them
touched the pen ; many of whom knew no more the
purport of the act than if they had been ah hundred
miles ofi^ ; and I here assert it to be a fkc t, that to this day
the treaty is not fairly underMood by a single Osstge^

*' Thus, the tradmg-house which had been esta-r
bHshed gratuitously, in coi^drmity with the eftrnest

to

Ill

itrficitations of the Osage chief, and repeated pro-
mises of the President, was made a part of tlie price
of the lands acquired under that treaty of the United
States. In Ajnil 1810 this treaty was ratified and
confirmed by the Senate, and was duly proclaimed
by the President of the United States to be a law of
the land. The Osages complained of the delay
which took place between its signature (from which
time is was binding on them) and the payment
of the first and second annuities, which were not
made till September 1811. The trading-house was
kept up and well supplied until early in June 1813^
at which time the establishment was by order broken
up, and has been discontinued ever since, contrary to
the expectations and entirely against the consent of
the Osages, who considered the trading-house as the
only benefit they had acquired by the treaty.

^' No complaints have been made against the
Osages from the signature of the treaty tm after the
trading-house and garrison were withdrawn from Fort
Clark ; since that time a party of the Great Osages
murdered one of our citizens, and the murderers
were promptly demanded (agreeably to the treaty)
by Governor Clark, and would have been surren-
dered, if Mr. Choateau (who was sent after them)
had performed his duty. Several other important
things are promised the Osages in the treaty.
A mill, plougns, and other implements of husbandry,
a blacksmith to mend their guns, ploughs, &c. and
block-houses to defend their towns. In short,
they were induced to believe, that an establish-
ment was to be perfectly kept up near their
towns, which should afford them a ready market at
all times for their furs and pelts, encourage and assist
them in acquiring habits ox civilization, and protect
them from their surrounding enemies. A mill and
one block-house have been built at an enormous ex-
pense, and a blacksniith has been 4xed ; all at the
town of the Great Osages. The mill, I believe, is of

lie

some use to those few who are near it. The black-
smith (although expensive to government) is not of
the smallest service. The block-house is only useful
to the traders who sometimes go to that village.

" All of them would be extremely useful, if pro-
perly placed and taken care of; but detached as they
are from the agency, and unconnected with an estab-
lishment such as was originally contemplated at Fort
Clark, they are at present of very little use.

*^ These facts, concerning the Osage treaty, are
stated merely to show that we have not dealt justly
with the Osages, and to infer from them, that unless
immediate steps are taken to recover that confidence
and respect which those Indians once had in the
United States, the inevitable consequence will be,
their decided and active hostility against the settle-
ments of the Missouri, and those back of the lead
mines. British emissaries had repeatedly attempted
to engage the Osages in their service previous to the
evacuation of Fort Clark, but without effect. The
leading men have often declared to me their deter*
mination * never to desert their American Father as
long as he was faithful to them.* At a time when
we were under serious apprehensions of an attack on
Fort Clark, the warriors of the Little Osages offered
their services to me to defend the post. In less than
two months after those declarations and offers of ser-
vice Fort Clark was evacuated, and the Osage estabi
lishment abandoned, without any notice or apology
for so very extraordinary and unnecessary an act^
Thus were the Osages left (I may truly say) in the
arms of the British agents. How far those agenta
have succeeded in weaning them from their growing
attachment to the United States I am unable to say ;
they have had full scope for their arts, and it would
be idle to suppose they have not made some pro-
gress.

" Of all the Missouri Indians^ the Osages were
the least accessible to British influence, from their

lis

, .strong attachment to the French. They had ac-
quired a French prejudice against the Enghsh, which,
since my acquaintance with them, has rather in-

. creased than diminished. Such are the Osages, and
such our relations and political standing with them.

^* To put an end to the difficulties now existing
between the United States and those people, and to
relieve our frontier from the additional weight and
destructive effects of their hostility, I beg leave to
propose the following plan :— •

" The Osage treaty should be immediately carried
. into complete effect, and measures promptly adopted
to engage the Osages in the service oi the United
Stated : with this view, and to effect the latter im-
portant object, it will be necessary to make an estab-
lishment near the Osage towns, to consist of a trading-
house, armourer, or blacksmith, and mill ; the trading-
. house to be constantly supplied with a sufficient quan-
tity of suitable Indian goods, to be furnished to the
Osages (and such other Indians as the Osages may
associate with them in the service of the United States,
and request to be furnished,) on liberal terms, either
in barter for their furs and pelts, payment of their
annuities, payment for their services, and such occa-
sional presents as the safety of Indian affairs may
. authorize or require. Thia store should constitute
an ample fund always in their country, and always
accessible to supply all their wants, and promptly to
discharge all their just demands against the United
States. During the continuance of the war 40,000
dollars per annum would be requisite. In peace from
10 to 15,000 would be sufficient.

" This establishment should be so regulated in its
details as to prevent frauds and abuses, restore conjS-
dence among the Osages, and produce the most satis-
faction to them, and benefit of^the United States. In
Seace the net profits of the trade will more than de^
ray the whole ^xpense. In war those profits will
very much diminish the expense* This establish-

VOL. III. I

114

ment should be under the direction of a responsible
and confidential agent, who i^ould also be charged
with the local superin tendance of Indian afi^rs within
the proper sphere of his agency.

'^ A strong stockade fort and ganison should be
fixed in the neighbourhood of the Indian establish-
ment, under such police and regulations as should
effectually prevent any clashing between the military
and Indian departments, and solely to be confined to
military purposes, A system of eqncHiage to be
adi^ted and put into operation at this estatnishment,
and extended as far as possible among the surround-
ing Indian nations/'

l%[e Osages of the Oaks, or ClermoHtfs band, were
s^arated from the other bands, and fixed in their
present situation, chi^y, it is said, through the influ-
ence of Mr. Choteau, previously to the cession of the
territory to the American government. The mono-
poly (H the Missouri trade having been granted
to Mr. Manuel Lisa by the Spanish authorities,
Mr. Choteau^ a rival trader, could no longer tmffic
with them on the waters, or within a c^tain ^stance
€^the Missouri. He therefore managed to separate
a considerable portion of the nation from the interest
of his rival, and induced them to establish a town
near the Arkansa, of the trade of which river he en-
joyed the monopoly.

At a short distance we crossed a small creek which
issues from a spring of water. The prairie is now
very fertile, interspersed with pleasing groves of oak,
and swelling, on either hand, and in the distance^
into remarkable pyramidal and conical hills, of
which the summits are rocky. The spice-wood
(laurus benzoin) and the pecan (carya olivflefermis)
first occurred to-day. Our distance, twdve iniles.

lis

CHAPTER VIII.

VSltDIGBISE RIVEB. — MR. GLENN's TRADINdfr-HOUSG. -^ NEW
SPECIES OF LIZARD. — NEOSHO OR GRAND RIYER. — SALT

WORKS. LARGB SPIDER. ILLINOIS CREEK. — TICKS.

— ARRIVAL AT BELLE POINT.

jVIoNDAi', 4th. The face of the country exhibited
the same appearance as that of yesterday's journey,
until we arrived at a dense forest^ which we supposed
to margin the Verdigrise river, or Was-su-ja of the
Osages. There being no trace tx) direct us, we were
obliged to penetrate the intricate undergrowth as w^
might, and after a tedious and laborious passage o^
^omeljiing more than three miles^ we attained, pro-
bably by a somewhat circuitous route, the river which
we had so long vainly sought. At our crossing-place
the stream was probably eighty yards wide, and one
foot in depth, running with a brisk stream over a
rocky bed, though above and below, as far as we
examined, the depth of water is much more con-
siderate. This river is more rapid and pellucid
than any tributary we had passed on this side c^
the mountain streams, and during the season pf
floods its volume is augmented by the tribute of
those ravines over which we passed on the 30th
ultimo.

l^ate in the afternoon, we struck the Osage trace,
leading from their village to the trading establishr
dient, at the confluence of the Verdigrise; whither
we now direct our course. Our evening encampment
was at a small ravine, in which were some plum
biishes, bearing fruit, yet unripe, of a fine red coloui*,
IM[|d) without the ali^htest exaggeration, as closely
aitttcited on many of me b^janches m onions when tied

116

on ropes of straw for exportation. Distance^ seventeen
miles three quarters. Extreme heat, 90 degrees.

Tuesday, 5th. At ten o'clock we arrived at Mr,
Glenn's trading-house, near the Verdigcise, about a
mile above its confluence with the Arkansa. We were
hospitably received by the interpreter, a Frenchman,
who informed us that Mr. Glenn was absent on a visit
to Belle Point. In reply to our inquiries respecting the
best and shortest route to the place of destination^ two
Americans who were present assured us, that tlierewas
a path the whole distance so obvious as not to be mis-
taken, and that they were so much occupied, as to
be unable to spare any one to pilot us. Unrortunately,
however, for our informant, a military cap, which
was now discovered suspended from a beam, betrayed
him to be a soldier, belonging to the garrison of
Belle Point, temporarily employed at this place.
When asked by what right he entered into any other
engagements whilst in the service of the United States^
he replied that he had the permission of his officers ;
but as he could not show a certificate, he was ordered
to join our suit forthwith as a guide, and to assist with
the pack-horses. The interoreter informed us, that
the distance to the town of the Osages of the Oaks
is about fif*ty-five miles ; from thence to the village of
the second band of Osages, called the Great Osages,
situated near the head waters of Osage river, more
than fifty miles ; thence to the village of the third
band, csQled Little Osages, situated on the Neosho or
Grand river, three miles j he assured us, that Clermont
had then four wives and thirty-seven children ; a
pumber, doubtless, unprecedented amongst the North
American Indians, and which may probably be
attributed to this chief by mistake. We^ also learned,
that at the distance of twenty-five miles was a copious
salt spring, lately worked with the permission of the
Indians ; but at present it is abandoned, and the ap-
paratus removed. Mr. Nuttall, in his interesting
Journal of Travels in the Arkansa territory, has given

117

an excellent account of this saline. It produced,
agreeably to his statement, under the management
or the company, one bushel of salt from eighty gal-
Ions of water, and one hundred and twenty bushels
were manufactured in a week.

A beautiful species of lizard [8] (agama), is oc-
casionally met with in this territory. It runs with
great swiftness. The form of its scales, their arrange-
ment and proportions, considerably resemble those
of polychrus marmorata, with the exception of the
caudal ones, the series of which are equal, and the
scales near the tip of the tail only are mucronate.
A band over the shoulders somewhat resembles that
of stellio querto paleo.

In addition to our usual fare, served upon the earth,
we here enjpyed the luxury of wild honey and Indian
com, or maize bread, spread upon a table ; and felt
perhaps a little of that elation which the possession
of a new coat communicates to the beau, when we
found ourselves mounted on stools and benches
around it.

The sassafras flaurus sassafras) occurred this morn-
ing ; and soon aner our departure from the trading-
house, we saw the cane (miegia macrosperma), and
were soon involved in a dense cane brake. Here we
were hardly fanned by a breath of air, and during the
prevalence of the extreme heat of the day, which was
96 degrees, the state of the atmosphere w^s ex-
tremely oppressive. A short ride brought us to
the Neosho, or Grand river, better known to the
hunters by the singular designation of the Six Bulls.

It enters the Arkansa very near to the confluence of
the Verdigrise, and at the ripple, which ofiers us a
facility of crossing, is about eighty yards wide, the
water clear, above and below moving with a gentle
current, and its bed and shores paved with large
pebbles. At the entrance of the opposite forest, our
guide, to whom the direct and very obvious path was
supposed to be so familiar, now became bewildered, and

I 3

118

afler reconnoitring to bis heart's content unongst
the entangled briers, vinest and nettles^ ushered us
into a trace which conducted to an old Indian en-
campment, and terminated there. Further progress
was in a great measure intercepted by the cane bnJte,
which not presenting any patn^ obUged us ta break
our passage with much labour. The dusk of the
evening round us still pursuing a devious course
through a world of vegetation impenetrable to the eye,
vainly seeking a spot upon which an encampment
could be fixed, when, to our unspeakable joy, and
without previous intimation, the prairie c^ Bayou
Menard appeared suddenly before us. The timber
of these bottoms is large and various. The extreme
heat of the day, 96 degrees. Distance, eighteen miles..

Our pleasure at first seeing civilized white men was
of no ordinary kind ; it appeared as though we had
already arrived at our own homes and families, in
anticipation of Belle Point, which had hitherto
seemed the utmost boundary and terminus of our
pilgrimage.

Wednesday, 6th. A fine morning, and, as on the
days of the first instant, and 30th ultimo, no dew had
fallen. Crossed the ravine at the head of Bi^ou
Menard, and ascended the elevated hills^ clofched
with small oaks, and arrived at a branch of Green*
leaf Bayou about nine o^clock ; a distance of e^ht
miles.

A slight shower of rain fell in the afternoon j and
during our ride we first observed the dogwood (cor-
nus florida). In the evenings we arrived at Mr. Bean's
salt works. These are situated on a small creek which
Hows into the Illinois creek about a mile below, and
are at the distance of about seven miles from the
Arkansa. Mr. Biean commenced his operations in
the spring, and has already a neat farm-house on the
Illinois, with a considerable stock of cattle, h(^, bmA
poultry, and several acres in Indian corn* Near the
springs he has erected a neat log-house, and a shed

9

119

for the furnace ; but his kettles, which were purchased
of the proprietors of the Neosho establishment, were
not yet fixed. He assured us that the water was so
far saturated as not to dissolve any perceptible quan-
tity of a handful of salt that was thrown into it. On
the side of a large well, which he had sunk to collect
the salt water, and perhaps two feet from the surface
of the soil* he pointed out the remains of a stratum
of charcoal of inconsiderable extent, through which
they had penetrated, and which to a by-stander was
a certain proof that these springs had been formerly
worked by the Indians^ But as no other appearances
justified this conclusion, a greater probability seems
attached to the idea, that during tome former confla^
gration of the prairies, the charred trunk or branches
of a tree was here imbedded. Another agent, how-
ever, of sufficient efficacy to operate this carboniza-
tion of wood, resides in the sulphuric acid, liberated
by the decomposing pyritous rocks, so abundant
here.

Whilst waitii^ with a moderate share of patience for
our evening meal of Ixuled pumpkins, one of the
children brought us a huge hairy spider, which he
carried upon a twig, that he had induced the animal
to grasp with its feet. Its magnitude and formidable
appearance surprised us. The boy informed us that
he had captured it near ihe entrance of its burrow,
and that tne species is by no means rare in this part
of the country. Not having any box suitable to con-
tain it, nor any pin sufficiently large to impale it,
we substituted a wooden peg, by which it was at-
tached to the inside of a hat. This species so closely
resembles, both in form, colour, and magnitude^ the
gigantic bird-catching spider of South America*, that
from a minute survey of this specimen, which is a
female^ we cannot discover the slightest characteristic
distinction. But as im examination of the male,

* Mygak avicukria.
I 4

I'M)

comparatively with that of the avicularia, may exhibit
distinctive traits, we refrain from deciding positively
upon the species. This animal had been previously
mentioned by Mr.Nuttall, in his recent and inter-
resting account of his travels in this region. Distance,
twenty-four miles.

Thursday, 7th. The Illinois is called by the Osages
EngAJoah'Condahy or Medicine Stone Creek. At our
fording place near the Saline, it is about sixty yards
wide, with clear water and pebbly shores, like those
of the Neosho. We proceeded on, through a country
wooded with small oaks, and interspersed with occa-
sional small prairies^ and crossed a deep ravine called
Bayou Viande. The Bayous, as they are named in
this country, unlike those of the lower portion of the
Mississippi river, are large and often very profound
ravines or watercourses, which, during the spring
season, or after heavy rains, receive the water from
the surface of the prairies, and convey it to the river j
but in the summer and early autumn, the sources
being exhausted, the water subsides in their channels,
occupying only the deeper parts of their bed, in the
form of stagnant pools, exhaling miasmata to the at-
mosphere, and rendering their vicinity prejudicial to
health.

The extreme temperature of the day was Q3 de-
grees, but It was rather abruptly reduced by a strong
wind from the S. E., which brought up a heavy rain,
with much thunder and lightning, and continued to
drench us until the evening, when, after a ride of
fourteen miles, we encamped at Bayou Salaison or
Meat-salting Bayou. At oui' mid-day refectory, we
were much annoyed by great numbers of small ticks,
that were excessively abundant amongst the grass,
and crawled by dozens up our leggings. Wherever
they effected a lodgement upon the skin, their jiu-
merous punctures would cause an intolerable itching
sensation, that bid defiance to repose. In the even-,
ing, in addition to the needful process of drying our

121

Clilothing and blankets, we had ample emplo^ent iit
scratching and picking the pestiferous arachnides from
our bodies. On entering the water, the disagreeable
sensation seemed to be mitigated for a time, only to
be augmented on our return to the atmosphere*
Mosquitoes, which were also abundant, were readily
expelled from our tents by the smoke of burning
wood; but the ticks, otherwise constituted, frustrated
our endeavours to obtain the necessary rest and sleep
during the night. ^

These ticks are of two different species, and, in
common with other species inhabiting different parts
of the United States, are distinguished by the name
of seed ticks^ probably on account of their small
size when compared with others of the same genus.

The larger of the two kinds [90 may be compared,
in point of transverse diameter, to the head of a smaU^i
sized pin ; but the other one is so much smaller, a».
to elude the sight,^ except on minute inspection.

The Cherokee Indians frequently visit this vici-?
nity on hunting excursions ; and our guide informs
us, that a hunting-party of that nation is at present
situate at the mouth of this Bayou, at the distance of
two miles and a half from our camp.

Friday, 8th. The face of the country presents the
same appearance with that we passed over yesterday,
pffering in the arrangement of forest and fertile prai-
rie, many advantageous scites for plantations, of
which one is already established at the confluence o^*^
Big Skin Bayou.

During the afternoon's ride, the country was ob-
served to be more hilly. Soon after the occurrence
of the greatest heat of the day, which was 91 degrees,
several showers of rain fell, accompanied with distant
thunder.

On a naked part of the soil, gullied out by the
action of torrents of water, we beheld a hymenop-
terous or wasp-like insect (sphex) triumphantly, but
laboriously, dragging the body, of the gigantic spider.

1«S

its prey, to furnish food to its future progeny* We
cannot but admire the progress of this comporativdy
pigmy victor, and the wonderful influence cr a mater«»
ntl emotion, which thus impels it to a hazardom
encounter, for the sake of a posterity which it can
Meter know. Distance, nineteen miles.

Saturday, 9th. Pursued our journey, with every
tiope of reaching the place of rendezvous appointed
by Major Long before noon. Since passing Bayou
Viande, we have obsei-ved the country on eitner side
of our path to be distinguished by extremely
numerous natural elevations of earth, of some eon^
siderable degree of regularity. They are pf a more
or less oval outline, and their general dimensions
may be stated at one hundred feet long, by from two
to five feet in greatest height. Their existence is
doubtless due to the action of water. Should the
rivers Platte and Arkansa be deprived of their
waters, the sand islands of their beds would pro-
bably present a somewhat similar appearance.

An Indian, who observed us passing, hallooed to us
from a distance, and expecting some important com«
munication, we waited some time until he came up.
He proved to be a Cherokee, dressed much in the
manner of the whites, and not a little infected with
the spirit of an interrogator, common, no doubt, to
those with whom he has been accustomed to asso-
ciate, and therefore probably regarded by him as a
eoncomitant of civilization. We left him to his own
surmises respecting our object and destination, and
soon arrived at the path which strikes off for the
river. Afler passing a distance of two miles through
a cane brake, we passed a hut and small farm be-
longing to a soldier of the garrison, and were shortly
on the strand of the river, with the long-sought Belle
Point before us. We were soon ferried over, and
were kindly received on the wharf by Captain Ballard
and Mr.Gknn. The foriaoer gentl^an was at pre-
sent inv«Rited with the commwd^ m consequence of

1«S

the temporary absence of Major Bradford, on a visit
to St. Louis. His poUteness and attention soon
rendered our situation comfortable, after a houseless
exposure in the wilderness of ninety- three days. The
greatest heat of the day was 91 degrees, and distance
travelled nine miles.

The Af kansa, below the great bend, becomes more
serpentine than it is above, and very much obstructed
by sand-bars* and islands, either naked or clothed
with a recent vegetation j they are but little elevated
above the water, and are covered to some depth
during the prevalence of floods in the river. At Belle
Point, and some distance above, these islands almost
?>^holly disappear, but the sandy shores still continue,
and are, as above, alternately situated on either side
of the river, as the stream approaches or recedes
from the opposite river bottoms. The colour of the
water was now olive green. All the red colouring
matter, with which it is sometimes imbued, is contri-
buted by streams entering on the southern side. The
current of the Arkansa is much less rapid than that
of the Platte, but the character of these two rivers,
in a great degree, corresponds in their widely spread-
ing waters of but little depth, running over a bed of
yielding sand. The rise of the Waters at Belle Point
takes place in the months of March and early in
April, with a less considerable freshet in July and
August. But to this place navigation is seldom
practicable, for keel-boats, from the month of August
to February inclusive, though the autumnal freshet
of October and Notrember frequently admits theit
passage.

.U4>

CHAPTER IX.

JOURNEY FROM BELLE POINT TO CAPE GIRARDEAU. —CHE*

ROKEE INDIANS. OSAGE WAR. REGULATOR'S SETTL£^

MENTS OF WHITE RIVER.

The opportunity afforded by a few days residence at
Fort Smith, was seized for the purpose of ascertain-
iiig, by several successive observations, the latitude
and longitude of the place. The results of several
observations of the sun's meridian altitude, and of
lunar distances, had between the 14th and 19th
September, give for the latitude of Belle Point,
S4t'5(f 54% and for the longitude 94*> 21' west of
Greenwich.

On the 19th, Captain Bell left the fort to proceed
on his way to Cape Girardeau, accompanied by
Dougherty and Oakly, two of the engagees whose
services were no longer required. On the SOth^
Doctor James and Lieutenant Swift departed in com-
pany with Captain Kearny, who had visited the post
in uie discharge of his duties as inspector and pay-
master. It was the design of this party to descend
the Arkansa to the Cherokee agency,^and to proceed
thence to the hot springs of the Washita.
. On tlie 21st, the party, now consisting of Major
Long, Messrs. Say, Seymour and Peale, accompanied
by Wilson, Adams, Duncan, and Sweney, the other
soldiers being left at the fort, commenced their
journey towards Cape Girardeau. We took with us
five horses and five mules, two of the latter being
loaded with packs. Captain Ballard kindly volun-
teered his services as guide, and, attended by a ser-
vant, accompanied us the first day's journey on our
march.

125

Our route lay oil the south side of the Arkansas at
considerable distance from the river, and led ub across
two small creeks — one called the Mussanne or Mas-
sern, and the other the Vache Grasse. [10] The latter
stream has a course of several miles, but during the
dry season, discharges very little water. The small
path we followed lay for the most part through open
'woods of post oak, black jack, and hickory, occa-
sionally traversing a narrow prairie. In these open
plains, now covered with rank grass and weeds, we
discovered here and there some traces, such as a
skull or a hoof of a bison, indicating that the undis-
puted possession of man to these regions had been of
a very recent dtite.

It was near five o'clock when we arrived at
the solitary cabin of a settler, and though we found
no inhabitant about the place, we halted, and en-
camped near the spiking. Our horses were scarce
unsaddled, when a man, who seemed to be the occu*.
pant of the house, came up, and informed us, that
half a mile further on our way, we should find a
house and good accommodations. Accordingly, we
again mounted our horses, and rode on to ** Squire
Billingsby*s,'*. as our destined host was entitled,
where we met a very hospitable reception. As the
night approached, we observed that several young
women and men, the sons and daughters of the
family, disappeared, going to the cottages of the
neighbours (the nearest of which seemed to be the
one we had passed) to spend the night, that they
might leave their beds for our use. Our hospitable
landlord had many swarms of bees, some of which
had been taken from the neighbouring forests.
Wishing to make the addition of some honey to the
bountiful table spread for our entertainment, he went
with a lights and cjirefully removing the top of one of
the hives, took out as much of the comb as he wished,'
and then replaced the top without killing or injuring
the bees, tn this manner, he assured us, honey may

If6

at any time be taken without destroying the insects,
who will, if the season admits, speedily mi^e up the
deficiency thus produced. Some feather beds having
been given up by their ordinary occupants expressly
for our use, we could not well avoid accepting the
accommodation thus offered, but instead of proving
an indulgence, we found the use of them partook more
of the nature o£ a punishment. We spent an unquiet
and almost sleepless night, and arose on the fdlowing
morning unrefreshed, and with a painful feeling q£
soreness in our bones, so great a change had the hun-
ter's life produced upon our habits. Those of the
party who spread their blankets, and passed the night
on the floor of the cabin^ rested much more pleasantly.

On the succeeding morning, Captain Ballard re-
turned to Belle Point, and we resumed our journey,
accompanied by one of the sons of our landlord, who
undertook to guide us on our way, until we should
fell in with a path which we might continue to follow.
We passed through a hilly country, crossing two
creeks, heretofore called the Middle and Lower Vache
Grasse. At the distance of four or five miles froih
the Arkansa, on each side, the country is broken
vad mountainous, several of the summits rising to an
elevation of near two thousand feet above the surface
af the water. Several trees which stood near our
path had been in part stripped of their bark, and the
naked trunks were marked with rude figures, r^re-
senting horses, men, deer, dogs, &c. These im-
perfect paintings, done with charcoal, and sometimes
touched with a little vermilion, appeared to be his-
toric records, designed to perpetuate, or at least to
cotnmunicate the account of some exploit in hunting,
a journey, or some similar event. We have alrea^-
reinarked, that this method of communication is sufli-
cieqtly understood by the Indians, to be made the
vehicle of important intelligence.

A little brfore sunset we arrived at a settlement on
the stream, called Short Mountain Bayou. The little

1«7

cabin we found occupied by two soldiers belonging
to the garrison, who were on their return from the
settlement at Cadron, whither they had been sent
with letters on our arrival at Fort Smith, Cadron
being the nearest post-town. We had expected letters
from -our friends by the return of the express, but
were disappointed.

The soldiers informed us, that the house in which
they had quartered themselves for the night, had been
for a week or two deserted, since its proprietor had
died, and his wife, who was sick, had been removed
to the nearest settlement. The plac6 is called the
Short Mountain Settlement, from a high ridge of
sandstone, a little to the north- west, rising in the form
of a parallelogram to an elevation of about twelve
hundred feet. ♦ Its sides are abrupt, and in many
places, particularly towards the summit, perpendi-
cular. The summit is broad and nearly tabular,
being covered with small trees, among which the red
cedar, w some other ever-green tree, predominates*
The piantotion is somewhat elevated on a rocky emi-
nence, at a little distance from the creek, but it is
surrounded on all sides, save one, by the heavily
wooded low grounds, in which we are to look for the
causes whose operation have made it so soon desolate*
Short Mountain Bayou, if we may judge from the
depth and width of its channel, and the extent of its
low grounds, is a large stream, or rather one which
drains an extensive surface, but at this time it exhi-
«bited a succession of green and stagnant pools, con-
nected by a little brook, almost without any perceptible
current. On the surface of these pools, we saw the
floating leaves of the nymphaea kalmiana, $ome
utricul arias, and other aquatic plants. '

* It may be proper to remark, that the elevation of none of the
Ozark mountains having been ascertained, the estimates which vre
have made are only to oe considered as approximating towards the
truth .

128

September, 23d. After leaving the wide and fertile
bottoms of the Short Mountain Bayou, our path lay
acr OSS high and rocky hills, altogether covered with
woods. The upland forests are almost exclusively of
oak, with some little intermixture ofhickory, dogwood
and black gum. They are open, and the ground is
in part covered with coarse grasses.

At noon we arrived at the Cherokee settlements on
Rocky Bayou^ and were received with some hospi-
tality at the house of the Metiff chief, known by the
name of Tom Graves. Though entirely an Indian
in his character and habits, he has the colour and
features of an European, and it was not without some
difficulty we could be made to believe that he was
in reality allied by birth to the ''people among whom
he holds the rank of a chief. His house, as well as
many we passed before we arrived at it, is constructed
like those of the white settlers, and like them sur-
rounded with enclosed fields of corn, cottop, sweet
Sotatoes, &c., with cribs, sheds, droves of swine,
ocks of geese, and all the usual accompaniments of
a thriving settlement.

Graves,, our landlord, though unable to speak or un*
derstand our language, held some communications with
us by means of signs, occasionally assisted by a black
girl, one of his slaves, who interpreted the Cherokee
language. He told us, among other things, that the
Osages do not know how to fight; that the Cherokees
were now ready to give up the Osage prisoners, if the
Osages would deliver into their hands the individuals
who had formerly killed some of the Cherokees, &c.
He has shown his admiration of military prowess, by
calling one of his children Andrew Jackson Graves.
He treated us with a good degree of attention, and
showed himself well acquainted with the manner of
making amends by extravagant charges. Our dinner
was brought in by black slaves, and consisted of a
iarge boiled buflkloe, fish, a cup of coffee, corn bred^

129

4

milk, &c. Our host and his wife, of unmixed abori-
ginal race, were at table with us, and several slaves
of African descent were in waiting. The Cherokees
are said to treat their slaves with much lenity. The
part of the nation now residing on the Arkansa, have
recently removed from a part of the state of Ten-
nessee. They are almost exclusively agriculturalists,
raising large crops of corn and cotton, enough for
clothing their families, which they manufacture in
their own houses.

After dinner we proceeded a few miles, taking
with us one of Graves's sons as a guide, who led us
to a place affording good pasture for our horses. Here
we encamped.

September 24th. From the settlement of the
Cherokees, at Rocky Bayou, our route lay towards
the south-east, across the succession of rocky hills,
sparingly wooded with oak, intermixed with the cornus
porida, attaining an unusual magnitude.

As we descended towards the Arkansa, we per-
ceived before us the cabins and plantations of another
settlement of Cherokees. Passing near a wretched
and neglected tenement, we observed a white man,
who appeared to be the occupant, and called upon
liim to direct us to the place where, as we had been
told, the river could be forded. It was not until we
had repeated our request several times, that he seemed
disposed to give any attention. He then approached
at a snaiPs pace, and setting himself down upou the
ground, drawled out his direction, terminating each
word with a long and hearty yawn. The depression
and misery which seemed written on his features, and
the sallowness of his complexion, convinced us that
disease, as well as native indolence, - had some share
in occasioning the apparent insolence he had shewn,
and cured us of any wish we might have felt to
reproach him.

Following a winding pathway, which led through
deep-tangled thickets and heavy cane-brakes, we

VOL, ni. K

ISO

arrived at the ford, and crossing without difficultyi
halted at the settlement of Walter Webber, a young
chief of the Cherokees. Here we found the gentle-
men of our party who had left the garrison before

us.

The chiefs of the Cherokee nation had called a
grand council, to meet at Point Pleasant the day
after our arrival there, to adopt measures to forward
the negociations for peace with the Osages, with
whom they had been at variance for many years.
The origin of the quarrel, existing between these
powerful and warlike nations, is by some referred to
the period of the American revolution, when the
Osages killed a number of refugees, who had fled to
them for protection. Among these were some Che-
rokees, some Indians of mixed bre^d, and it is said
some Englishmen, to whom the success of the Ame-
rican arms rendered unsafe a longer residence in the
country then occupied by the Cherokee nation.
Whether the outrage thus alleged against the Osages
was in fact committed, it is not at this time easy to
determine. It appears, however, agreeably to the in-
formation we have been able to collect, that of late
years the Cherokees have almost uniformly been the
aggressors, while the abuses of the Osages, so loudly
complained of, both by the Cherokees and tlie Whites,
have been acts of retaliation. A large number of
Cherokees now live on the south side of the Arkansa,
upon lands claimed by the Osages ; and all the- Che-
rokees of the Arkansa are in the habit of hunting
and committing depredations upon the Osage hunting
grounds. In 1817, the Cherokees, with a number of
Delawares, Shawnees, Quapaws, and eleven Ameri*-
can volunteers, the whole amounting to about six
hundred men, made an irruption into the territory
of the Osages, having previously taken measures to
quiet the suspicions of their enemies, by occasional
messages, professing a peaceable disposition on their
part. When they had arrived near the village^ they

5

131

sent a deputation to the Osages, concealing at the
same time their numbers^ and their hostile intention,
and inviting Clermont, the chief, to a council which
they proposed to hold at a little distance from the
town. Clermont being absent on a hunt with the
young men of his village, an old Indian^ and one in
nigh standing with his people, was appointed to act
in his stead, and commissioned to conclude a peace
with the Cherokees, according to the wish they had
expressed by their messengers. But what was his sur-
prise, when, on arriving at the spot designated as that
at which the council was to be held, instead of a few
chiefs and old men, as had been represented, he found
himself surrounded by the whole armed force of the
Cherokees. He was seized and put to death on the
spot. The design of this act of perfidy had been to
effect the destruction of Clermont, the bravest and
most powerful of the Osages. The Cherokees then
proceeded to the attack of the town, where, on
account of the absence of the efficient men, they en-
countered little resistance. A scene of outrage and
bloodshed ensued, in which the eleven Americans are
said to have acted a conspicuous and a shameful part.
They fired the village, destroyed the com and other
provisions, of which the Osages had raised a plentiAiI
crop, killed and took prisoners between fifty and
sixty persons^ all old men, women, and chddren.
Four of these prisoners, who had been since held in
captivity by tne Cherokees east of the Mississippi^
had been brought to Point Pleasant, by a metiff called
Captain Rogers, and a consultation was now to be
held, concerning the manner of restoring them to the
Osages.

In the winter of 1817-18, some of the leading men
of both nations had been summoned to a council at
St. Louis, by Governor Clark, for the purpose of ne-
gociating a peace. By the treaty then made^ the
Cherokees had agreed to relinquish the prisoners in
question, in consideration of which tbey were to be

K 2

132

allowed the privilege of hunting in the country north
of the Arkansa, as high as the Grand river or Six
Bulls, and on the south side as high as they. pleased.
The stipulated surrender of the prisoners not having
been made^ a party of Osages, who were hunting on
Red river, some time in the ensuing winter, fell in
with three Cherokee hunters, and whom they mur-
dered by way of retaliation. This circumstance
tended to widen the breach between them, till at
length both parties were resolved on war, which was
for the present prevented by the interference of Go-
vernor Miller, and by the check imposed by the
presence of an armed force at Belle Point, on the
frontiers of the two nations. At the time of our
visit, it was hoped the influence of Governor Miller
would effect the establishment of a permanent peace.
The first of the ensuing month (October) had been
appointed for the surrender of the prisoners, and
Governor Miller was said to be then on his way to
Belle Point, to ensure the fulfilment of the conditions
stipulated between the contending parties. The
Osages were to give up the men concerned in the
murder on Red river, in exchange for the women
and children then prisoners with the Cherokees.

The Cherokees were taught the culture of cotton
many years since, bv Governor Blount of North Ca-
rolina, who offered them a stipulated price per pound,
for all they would deliver at the trading-house. They
were for several years paid regularly for their cotton;
but the factor at length refusing any longer to receive
it, they complained to Governor Blount, who advised
them to manufacture it into clothing for their own
use, which they consented to do, on condition of
being furnished with a person to give the requisite
instruction. They now raise considerable quantities
of cotton, and many of them are comfortably clad in
garments of their own manufacture.

The introduction of a considerable degree of
civilization among the Cherokees, has been attended

133

with the usual consequence of inequality in the dis-
tribution of property, and a larger share of the evils
resulting from that inequality, than are known
among untutored savages. Encroachments upon the
newly-established rights of exclusive possession have
been frequent, and have rendered the numerous class
of the poor among the Cherokees troublesome neigh-
bours, both to the wealthy of their own nation,
and to those of the white settlers in their vicinity
who had any thing to lose. But wealth seldom
finds itself destitute of the means of protection. Three
bands of regulators, or troops of light horse, as they
are sometimes called, are maintained among the Che-
rokees, consisting each of ten men well armed and
mounted, and invested with an almost unlimited
authority. [11] A few days previous to our arrival
at Point Pleasant, a young man had been appre-
hended by one of these bands of regulators, on sus-
picion of horse-theft. On examination, the supposed
delinquent proved stubborn and refractory, where-
upon the captain ordered the infliction of fifty
lashes ; and this not seeming to produce the de-
sired effect, an additional fifty was commenced^
when the culprit confessed himself guilty, and
disclosed the whole transaction, in which he had
been concerned. We were called upon for advice
in the case of the Osage prisoners, a young woman
and three children labouring under an attack of
intermitting fever. The young woman we found
sitting upon the floor in a little cabin, near the
trading-house, and crying bitterly, not more, as we
were informed, on account of ill-health, than of her
reluctance to return to the Osages. She had been
long among the Cherokees, whose customs she had
adopted, and among whom she had formed attach-
ments.

Fikatok's village, which we passed on the 25th,
is situated on the Illinois Bayou, about seven miles
above Point Pleasant. It consists of no n^ore than

K 3

134

five or six cabins, but is the residence of the vener-
able Fikatok^ who, since the death of Fallantusky in
1817, has been considered the principal chief of this
portion of the Cherokee nation. He has been a dis-
tinguished benefactor to his people^ and is familiarly
known by the name of " The Beloved." The
Cherokees who live at and about this village, and
those settled at a distance from the Arkansa, gene-
rally are less subject to fevers than those who reside
on the river bottoms. At a little distance above the
village we left the Illinois, and proceeded across the
wilderness towards Little Red river, on our route to
Cape Girardeau* Two or three scattered plantations,
occupied by Cherokees, occur in the country between
Point Pleasant and Little Red river, where we
arrived on the 28th. This river has a deep rocky
channel, sixty or one hundred yards in width, at the
point where we crossed it, which is distant about
eighty miles from its confluence with White river.
It had at this time scarcely a perceptible current,
and in many places might be crossed on foot without
wading. It is, however, like most of the rivers of
this region, subject to great and sudden floods, which,
in several instances^ have drowned the cattie, and
destroyed and swept away the crops of those who*
were settled along the banks. From the marks lefb
by the last flood upon the banks, we perceived that
the range, from high to low water, could not be less
than sixty feet: From Stanley's settlement on Little
Red river, it is about thirty-six miles north-east to Har-
ding's ferry on White river. Here are numerous settle-
ments of Whites; but notwithstanding the country is
hilly and profusely irrigated with numerous rapid
streams, the inhabitants have almost without excep-
tion a sickly appearance. Harding's ferry is about
four hundred miles distant from the confluence of
White river and the Mississippi. White river is
navigable for keel-boats at high water to this place,
and during a Considerable portion of the year^ they

135

may ascend one hundred miles farther. It is here
about three hundred yards wide. Its water is re-
markably clear, and flows with a moderate current
over a gravelly or stony-bed.

Near Harding's ferry, on the south side of White
river, is the Chattahoochee mountain, of about two
thousand feet elevation, somewhat surpassing any
other point in its vicinity. The top of this mountain
marks the. north-eastern angle of the Cherokee
boundary, as established by General Jackson's treaty.
The eastern boundary of the tract, ceded by that
treaty to the Cherokees, runs in a straight line from
the top of the Chattahoochee to the mouth of Point
Remove or Eddy Point creek, which enters the
Arkansa about thirty miles above Cadron. This
line coincides nearly with the eastern Ihnit of the
mountainous region. Many small portions of valuable
land are included in the territory lately ceded to
the Cherokees, but by far the greater part is moun-
tainous and barren, and unfit for cultivation. White
river has its source in the Ozark mountains, near
the 94th degree of west longitude, and about the
36th degree north latitude, in the same district,
from which descend, on the south-west the Illinois
river of Arkansa, and on the north the Yungar Fork
of the Osage. The average direction of its course
is nearly due east parallel to the Arkansa, crossing
about four degrees of longitude to its confluence with
Black river, in latitude SS"* 15^, then turning abruptly
south, it flows through l** 15' of latitude to its bifar-
cation, and the confluence of its eastern branch
with the Mississippi in 34 degrees north. Below the
point where it receives the Black river from the
north, and even at the Chattahoochee mountains,
near one hundred miles above that point. White river
is little inferior, either in the width of its channel,
or in its volume of water, to the Arkansa under the
same meridian. When we have had occasion to
mention among the people of White river, that we

K 4

136

had crossed the Arkansa at the Rocky Mountain^^
more than one thousand miles to the west, the ques-
tion has been repeatedly put to us, " Where did
you cross White river ?** Those who have known
only the lower portions of both rivers, consider them
as nearly of equal length, and as heading near each
other ; whereas the entire extent of country drained
by White river, compared to that of the Arkansa,
is as one to six nearly. Three miles above its con-
fluence with the Mississippi, White river divides into
two branches, the lesser of which, turning off at
right angles, flows south-west, with a current some-
times equal to three miles per hour, and falls into
the Arkansa at the distance of four miles and a half.
It is said the current flows through this communica-
tion alternately to and from the Arkansa, according
as the water in that river is higher or lower than in
White river. Major Long entered the Arkansa
through this cut-off on the 13th of October I8I7,
and it has been passed more recently by Mn Nuttall*,
in I8I9. In both these instances the current flowed
from White river towards the Arkansa. The mouth
of that branch of White river which communicates im-
mediately with the Mississippi is situated fifteen miles
above the mouth of the Arkansa [12], and is about
two hundred yards wide. The current is very gentle,
and the water deep. Though perfectly transparent,
it is of a yellowish colour. The banks are low, and
subject to periodical inundations. The soil near the
mouth of White river is an intermixture of clay and
fine sand, the clay predominating, and the whole of a
reddish tinge.

Numerous settlements have heretofore been formed
on the lands contiguous to White river, and several in
the portion above the Chattahoochee mountain on
the south side ; but all these lands having by treaty
been surrendered to the Cherokees, many whites

* NuttalPs Travels, p. 65 .

137

have been compelled to withdraw, and leave their
farms to the Indians. The tract of land ceded| to
the Indians by the treaty above alluded to, is for the
most part rocky and barren. Some of the tributaries
of White river have extensive and fertile bottoms,
but the greater part of the country watered by this
river, is mountainous and unfit for cultivation. At
MacNeiPs ferry, where the road from Little Rock
on the Arkansa to Davidsonville, in Lawrence county,
crosses White river, the bottoms are wide, and as
fertile as any of those on the Arkansa. Here the
miegia and the papaw attain their greatest perfec-
tion, and the soil is found well adapted to the culture
of corn, cotton, and tobacco. At the point formed
by the confluence of White and Black rivers, is a
portion of land of a triangular form, and bounded
by sides about fifteen miles in extent, which, in
the excellence of its soil, as we were informed
by the surveyors, is surpassed by none in the
western country. There are considerable portions of
the upland soil of White river, where the profuse
supply of streams and springs of excellent water, the
elevation and comparative healthfulness of many
situations, and the vicinity of navigable rivers and
other local advantages, make amends for the want
of exuberant fertility in the soil. The same remark is
applicable to the country south of the Arkansa, where
are extensive tracts of hilly and rocky soils, which
. seem admirably adapted to the culture of the vine
and the olive. In every part of the Ozark moun-
tains, there are vallies, and small portions of land
within the hills, having a deep and fertile soil,
covered with heavy forests of oak, ash, hickory, and
in some places with the sugar maple, and abounding
in excellent water. The labour of a few years will
be sufficient to convert these tracts into productive
farms, but the inconvenience resulting from the dif-
ficulty of communiciation and access to the different

188

parts of the country, will for a long time retard their
settlement.

In several parts of the Arkansa territory we were
shewn dollars, which were believed to have been
coined in some of the upper settlements of White
river ; and it has been currently reported, that mines
of silver exist, and are wrought tnere. It appears,
however, upon examination, that much spurious coin
is here in circulation ; and it is probable that the
White river country owes its present reputation for
mineral wealth to the successful labours of some
manufacturer of imitation dollars. Since the time of
De Soto, it has been confidently asserted by many
who have written concerning Louisiana, that mines
of gold and silver exist in that part of the country of
which we are speaking. In an old map, by Du Pratz,
a gold mine is placed somewhere near the conflu-
ence of the Illinois and the Arkansa; a silver mine
on the Merameg, and he says, *^ I myself saw a rivulet
whose waters rolled down gold dust.*' [13] We are
informed by Schoolcraft, that granite exists about
the sources of the St* Francis, which are near those
of White river, p. 213. Of the extent and character
of this formation of granite, we have not yet been
able to form any very definite ideas ; it is, however, by
no means improbable, that to its plates of yellow and
white mica, we are to look for the origin of the fabu-
lous accounts of the precious metals in those regions,
like the country of the gilded king, the El Dorado
of South America, it is probable the gold and silver
minesof the Arkansa territory will recede, before the
progress of examination, first into the wildest and
most inaccessible part^, and at length disappear en-
tirely. We by no means intend to assert, that the
region in question will not prove of immense impor*-
tance, on account of its mineral treasures ; valuable
mines of lead and iron are certainly frequent in many
parts of it. And we can assign no reason why silver

139

and other metals should not be found in the arglUite
with quartzy veins, and in the other rocks of the tran-
sition period, which we know to exist in these moun«
tains. We only intend to give it as our opinion,
that there has as yet been no foundation in actual
discovenr for the belief that such mines do exist.

The bed of White river, at the place where we
crossed it, is paved with pebbles and fragments of a
yellowish white petiosiliceous stone, intermixed with
rounded masses of transparent quartz, and sometimes
with pieces of calcedony. Its water is uncommonly
transparent, and this, with the whiteness of its bed,
and the brisk motion of the current, gives it an aspect
of unusual beauty. The banks are high, and in
many places not exposed to inundation. Dense and
heavy forests of sycamore and cotton-wood stretch
along the river, disclosing here and there, at distant
intervals, the solitary hut and the circumscribed
clearing of the recent settler. Some who have been'
no more than two or three years resident upon their
present farms, and who commenced in the unbroken
forests, have now abundant crops of com and pump-
kinS) with large fields of cotton, which is said to
equal in quality that of the uplands of Geoi^a and
Carolina. Few attempts have hitherto been made
to cultivate any grain, except Indian corn, though
the soil is thought to be in many places well adapted
to wheat, barley, oats, &c. The maize cultivated in
the Arkansa territory, and in the southern and western
states, generally is the variety called the ground seed,
having a long and compressed kernel, shrivelled at
the end when fully ripe ; and crops are not uncommon
yielding from sixty to ninety bushels per acre. In
all the uplands, the prevailing growth is oak. At the
time of our journey, the acorns were :&lling in such
quantities, that the ground for an extent of many
acres was often seen almost covered with them.
Many recent settlers, indulging the disposition to in-
dolence which seizes upon almost every man who

140

fixes his residence in these remote forests, place as
much dependence upon the crop of mast as on the
products of their own industry. Vast numbers of
swine are suffered to range at large in the forests,
and in the fall of the year, when they have become
fat by feeding on the acorns, they are hunted . and
killed like wild animals, affording to the inhabitants
a very important article of subsistence. It is re-
marked also, that the venison becomes fat somewhat
in proportion as acorns are abundant. Turkies, which
are still vastly numerous in the settlements of White
river, feed upon them, but are said to grow poor in
consequence.

Sweet potatoes * are produced in great perfection
in many parts of the Arkansa territory, and are but
too much cultivated and eaten, their constant use as
an article of food being little beneficial to health.
The common or Irish potatoe, as it is here universally
called, succeeds but indifferently, and few attempts
are made to cultivate it.

A few of the roads which traverse the countiy
from the Mississippi to the upper settlements of Red
river and the Arkansa, have been sufficiently opened
to admit the passage of waggons. On these are seen
many families migrating from Missouri to Red river,
and from Red river to Missouri. The first settle-
ments in the wilderness are most commonly made by
persons to whom hardihood and adventure have be-
come confirmed and almost indispensable habits, and
who choose to depend upon the chase, and the spon-
taneous products of the unreclaimed forest, rather
than submit to the confinement and monotony of an
agricultural life. They are therefore, of necessity,
kept somewhat in advance of those settlers who in-
tend a permanent residence in the situations they
first occupy. Removing from place to place with
their cattle, horses, and swine, they confine them-

* The tuberous roots of the convolvulus batatas of Linnsus.

141

selves to one spot no longer than the range continues
to afford a sufficient supply of the articles most ne-
cessary to life. When the canes are fed down and
destroyed, and the acorns become scarce, the small
corn-field and the rude cabin are abandoned, and
the squatter goes in search of a place where all the
original wealth of the forest is yet undiminished.
Here he again builds his hut, removes the trees from
a few acres of land, which supplies its annual crop of
corn, while the neighbouring woods, for an extent of
several miles, are used both as pasture and hunting
grounds. Though there is in this way of life an evi-
dent tendency to bring men back to a state of bar-
barism, we have often met among the rudest of the
squatters with much hospitality and kindness. Near
White river, we called at a house to purchase food
for ourselves and our horses, but having no silver
money, our request was refused, although we oflfered
the notes of the bank of Missouri, then in good credit.
In a few miles we arrived at another cabin, where we
found every member of the numerous family sick
with the ague and fever, except one young girl. But
here they were willing to furnish every refreshment
their house afforded. There were at this time very
few houses, particularly in the settlements about
White river, which did not exhibit scenes of suffering
similar to those in the one of which we were now
the reluctant guests. We have seen some instances,
where, of a family of eight or ten, not a single indi-
vidual was capable of attending to the services of the
household, or of administering to the wants of his
suffering relatives. In these instances we thought it
better to pitch our tents at a little distance, and in-
trude ourselves no farther than was necessary to pro-
cure corn and other indispensable supplies.

On the evening of September 30th, we halted at a
little rivulet called Bayou Cura?. The dwelling of
our landlord consisted, as is commonly the case in
the new settlements, of a single room, with beds in

142

two or three of the corners. We were cordially in-
vited to make use of the beds, though it would have
been at the expence of rendering it necessary for our
host, his wife, and daughters, to sleep upon the floor
of the same room. We accordingly spread our
blankets, and deposited ourselves around the hearth,
while the family occupied their usual stations. On
the first of October we arrived at the ford of Straw-
berry river, a tributary entering the Big Blacky not
far trom the confluence of the latter with White river,
and about fourteen miles beyond, at the ford of Spring
river, a parallel stream. Both of these are rapid and
beautiful rivers, possessing all the peculiarities, as to
the abundance, transparency, and purity of their
waters, usually observed in those rivers which tra-
verse elevated and mountainous districts. The entire
length of Spring river is said to be but about one
hundred and forty miles; yet in the quantity of water
which it discharges, it more than twice exceeds the
Canadian, having a course of more than nine hundred
miles. It is said to have its principal source in a
spring of uncommon magnitude. Spring river unites
with another, called Eleven Point, near the little town
of Davidson ville, the seat of justice for Lawrence
county, and flows thence nearly due east, two or
three miles to its junction with Big Black. The
country around Davidsonville is hilly, having a deep
and fertile primary soil, and abounding in heavy
forests. The sources of Eleven Point, we have been
told, are in eleven large springs, and are near tiiiose
of Spring river.

To those who have been long accustomed to the
thirsty regions of the Missouri, the Platte, and the
Upper Arkansa, it is somewhat surprising to meet in
tracts, having nearly the same elevation, and resting
to a great extent on rocks of a similar character,
so great a number of large streams crowded into
such narrow compass.

143

Is it not probable, that a large « portion of the
water falling in rains upon the extensive plains at
the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, may sink
through the loose and porous soil, till at length, meet^
ing with some compact stratum, it may be collected
into rills, and even considerable streams, which, de-
scending along the surface of this stratum in the
direction of the general inclination of the country, at
length meet with the nucleus of the Ozark mountains,
traversing the secondary strata like a mineral dike,
and are consequently made to appear in the form of
large springs ? Whether any course of this kind ope-
rates to supply the unusual profusion of water with
which this nilly tract is irrigated, must be for others
to decide. The fact is an established one.

Black river originates in an elevated part of the
Ozark mountains, between 37° and 38° north latitude,
and between 90« and 91° west longitude. From the
same tract descend, on the north, the waters of the
Merameg ; on the north-east, those of Big river ; on
the east and south, those of the St. Francis and Black
river ; and on the west, those of the Osage and the
Gasconade. By an examination of the map which
accompanies this work, it will be seen that the
direction of the watercourses clearly indicates the
existence of an elevated ridge, running from the
confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi, on the
north-east, to the junction of the Arkansa and the
Canadian on the south-west. On the north-western
side of this ridge, we observed the Osage, the Grand
river, the Verdigrise, and even the Arkansa, inflected
from that due eastern course, which the tributaries of
the Mississippi and Missouri on the west incline to
pursue ; and coming near its base, we And the Illi-
nois river of the Arkansa, and the Yungar Fork of
Osage, running in opposite directions, and nearly at
right angles to the general course of the Canadian^
the Arkansa, the Main Osage, and Konzas. The
Illinois, and the great eastern tributary pf the Osage,

144

receive numerous streams from the western slope of
the Ozark mountains, but they traverse a region
hitherto very imperfectly known. It appears^ how-
ever, that these two rivers drain all the north-western
side of the mountainous range in question. Black
river runs nearly parallel, that is, from north-east to
south-west, along the south-eastern side of the range.
Its sources are in the district of the lead mines, and
at no great distance from those of the Merameg and
the St. Francis. Its course is at first south-east, about
sixty or one hundred miles ; then turning to the south-
west, it receives in succession from the south-eastern
side of the mountains, the Little Black, the currents
Tourche, De Thomas, Eleven Point spring, and
Strawberry rivers, uniting at length with White river,
in latitude 35** 15'. As far as hitherto known, it re-
ceives no considerable tributary from the east. About
the sources of Black river reside the Peola or Peoria
Indians, who are said to number about fifty warriors.
Parallel to this river, and from twenty to sixty miles
distant on the east, is the St. Francis, a larger river,
but one in many respects resembling Black river. It
rises in the high lands, about one hundred miles to
the westward of St. Genevieve in Missouri, and re-
ceiving, before it leaves the hills. Bear Creek, Castor
White water, and numerous other streams, it descends
toward the south-east, soon entering the extensive
swamp which stretches from New Madrid on the Mis-
sissippi, along the base of the mountains, to the
Arkansa. We have been informed by some of the
inhabitants of the countries of Cape Girardeau and
Madison, that in this swamp the St. Francis is so
much obstructed with rafts, and so lost among islands,
that its course can with difficulty be traced. It is
well known that in the lower part of its course it is
so obstructed by a large raft, as not to admit the

Kassage of the smallest boats. Its confluence with, the
lississippi is about three hundred and five miles
below the Ohio, and eighty above the mouth of WMte

145

river. Rnwwiing paniMel botii to tlie Mississippi and
White river, and at no great distance from either, ithe
St. Fmocis can (have no very large tributaiies ; indeed
we know of wme on either «ide wiiich deserve the
name pf rivers. We have no very ddinite information
xesfMSctiiiig the great s'v^amp in which the St. Frai^cis
is said to lose itself «oofa after leaving the hills ; the
accounts of the hunters, and of some settlers who
have «en it, agree in representing it as almost im-
passable, covered with heavy forests of cypress, and
wholly unfit to become the residence of men. This
swamp, atid the country about the sources of Black
river and the St. Francis, appear to be near the centre
of thie r^km so powerfully affected by earthquakes
in the year 1811. The fertile lands, on the upper
fei'anchesof the St. Francis, are not very extensive, and
are all more or less subject to inundation by the sudden
overflowing of the streamis. On this account they
cannot be considered as of great value for agricul-
ture ; but the wealth which this region possesses in
its mines, renders it one of the tnost important parts
of ancient Louisiana.

On the Sth October we arrived at Jax^kson, the
seat of justice for the county of Cape Girardeau,
and, afber St. Louis and St. Charies, one of the largest
tolvns in Missourib It lies about eleven or twelve
miles north- west of the old town of Cape Girardeau, on
the Mississippi, and is suiTounded by a hilly and fertile
tract of country, at this time rapidly increasing in
wealth and population. Jackson is what is called a
thriving village, and contiains at present more than
fifty houses, which^ though built of logs, seem to aspire
to a degree of importance unknown to the humble
dwellings of the scattered and solitary settlers, assum-
ing an appearance of consequence and superiority
i^ilar to that we immediately diistinguished in tiie
appeajnaift^ and manners of the people. Our horses,
having never been accustomed to such d^plays of
magnificence^ signified great reluctance to enter the

148

CHAPTieR X.

HOT SPRINGS OF THE WASHITA.— GRANITE 6P Yttft COflfi.—

SAXINE RIVER.

Wb return to give a hasty account of an excursion
fiwn Point Pleasant, in the country of the Cberokees,
to the hot springs of the Washita.

On ihe morning of the 25th, our little party, con-
sisting of Captain Kearney, Lieutenant Swiil, and
siyedf, having taken leave of our companions, re-
crossed the Arkansa from Webber's, and proceeded on
our journey without a guide.

[laving mistaken the route we had been directed
to follow, we were bewildered during a considerable
part of the day, wandering about through a fertile
country without settlements, and so covered with
dense forests as to render the travelling exceedingly
haras^ng. Towards evening we arrived at a c^ttle-
inent of^Cherokees, where we engaged a gttide to
conduct us to the trace leading to the springs. Por
this service we paid him two dollars. At night we
encamped in an open forest of oak, where we found
a suflBcient supply of grass for our horses. The hills
south of the Arkansa range from N.E. toS.W.,
their sides are sometimes nearly naked, but more
commonly covered with small and scattered trees.
Several kinds of oak, and the chinquapin (castanea
pumila. Ph.) attaining the dimensions of a tree, are met
with in the sandstone tracts. We distinguished here, in
the uplands, two separate varieties of soil. That just
mentioned, based upon a compact hard sandstone,
and bearing forests of oak, and another resting upon
a white petrosiliceous rock, with fragments of which
it is much intermixed. This latter is oflen covered

5

149

with pine forQ»l;9* The most common species, yeUow
pine (P. resinasa») attains unusual magnitude. Tl^<^
rigida^ and some other species occur, but are not fre*
quent. We also observed several species of vauci*
num, the mitchelta, the kalmia latifolia, hamamelis
virginLca? cunila mariana, and many other plants
common to this region and the Alleghany moun*
tain&,

There are no settlements between those of the
Cherokees about Derdonai on the Arkansa and the
hot springs. The bliud path which we follow^
traverses a rugged and mountainous region, having
considerable resemblance, except in the want of
parallelism in the ranges, to the sandstone portions
of the AUeghaniea. As the weather was rainy we felt
the inconvenience of travelling in the wilderness aud
encamping without tents. On the 28th we arrived
at the hot springs. The country near these, on the
north and UOTth-west, is high and rocky. The sand-
stone, which extends from the Arkansa to witMn ^
few miles to the springs, becomes, as you go south,
something inclined, and apparently of a more ancient
deposition, until it is succeeded by a highly inclined
jusimrtive argilliite. Both these rocks are travec&ied
by large veins of white quartz. They are inclin64 ,
towacdb; the south, and the argillite at a great angle*
In some localities it is but indistinctly slaty in its,
structure, and its laminse are nearly perpendicular ,.

It contains extensive beds of a yellowish whitey
siliceous stone, which is often somewhat translucent^
and resembles some varieties of hornstone. Itg
fracture is a little splintery, and sometimes largely
conchoidal; it is of a close texture, but the' recent
surface is generally destitute of lustre. It is thi^:
rock which affords tiie stones called Washita oilstones..
It may, with propriety, be denominated petrosilex*^
This name is, however, to be understood as having
the application given it by Kirwan, who uses it to
designate the fusible varietie.* of the hornstone of

L 3

150

Werner, and not the several varieties of compact
felspar to which it has been sometimes applied. In
passing from the hot springs, north-east to the lead-
mine country, about the sources of the Merimeg,
this rock is found to be intimately connected, and to
pass by minute and imperceptible gradations, into
the flint rock of that district, which is decidedly
secondary, and of contemporaneous origin with the
compact limestone which it accompanies. About
the hot springs it is not distinctly stratified, but
occurs in very extensive masses, sometimes forming
the body of large hills, and is marked by perpendi-
cular seams and fissures, often placed very near each
other.

The hot springs of the Washita are in nortli lati-
tude 34** 31', and west longitude 9^ 50' 45^" * near
the base of the south-eastern slope of the Ozark
mountains, and six miles north of the Washita. They
have been erroneously represented as the principal
sources of that river, which are more than one hun-
dred miles distant.

We have been informed that these remarkable
springs were unknown, even to the American hunters,
until the year 1779. At that time, it is said, there
was but one spring discharging heated water. This
is described as a circular orifice, about six inches in
diameter, pouring out a stream of water of the same
size, from the side of a perpendicular cliff, about
eight feet from its base. This cliff was situate then,
as it is now, along the eastern side of a small creek,
but was at a greater distance from the stream than at
present. At another place, near the top of the
mountain, which rises abruptly towards the east, the
heated water is said to have made its appearance near
the surface of the ground, in a state of ebullition,
and to have sunk and disappeared again upon the
same spot. It is probable these representations

* Hunter and Dunbar.

151

are in a great measure fabulous; all we are to
understand by them is, that the gradual augmenta^
tion of the thermal rocks, which are constantly
forming about the springs, has changed the position,
and perhaps increased the number of tlie orifices. [14]
These springs were visited by Hunter and Dunbar
in 1804, and the information communicated by them,
as well as much derived from other sources, together
with an analysis of the waters, has been placed before
the public by Dr. Mitchell. * They have been sub».
sequently examined by Major Long, in January 1818,
from whose notes we derive much of the information
we have to communicate respecting them. They
are about seventy in number, occupying situations
at the bottom and along one side of a narrow ravine,
separating two considerable hills of clay-slate. A
small creek enters the ravine from the north by two
branches, one from the north-west, and the other
from the north-east, flowing after their union nearly
due south, and blending with the water of the springs,
increasing rapidly in size, and acquiring so high a
temperature, that at the time of our visit the hand
could not be borne immersed in it. After traversing
from north to south the narrow valley containing
the springs, this creek meanders away to the south-
east, and enters the Washita at the distance of eight
or ten miles. All the springs are within a distance
of six hundred yards below the junction of the two
brooks, and all, except one, on the east side of the

creek.

We subjoin a note, containing some particulars
observed by Major Long at the time of his visit in
1818. [15] During the winter the steam which
rises from the springs is condensed to a white vapour,
which is often visible at a great distance.

The water of the springs is limpid and colourless,
and destitute, when cooled, of either taste or smelV

* Sec the New York Medical Repository*

I- 4

and, according to the analysis of 0r. Mitchell, pur^
than ordinary spring water. It however deposits, a9
it comes in contact with, tb^ air^ a copious sediment,
which ha& gradually acconmlated until it has become
an independent rock formation of consideraible exr
tent. This rock appears to consist of fliiit^ lijEne, and
a little oxide of iron. It is often of a pori»!» oc
vasicular texture, and the amygdaloidal cavitijea are
sometimes empty and sometimesiContaijB very delicate
stialactites. Hsematitic icon ore occurs dissecEunated
in very part* Also extensi^ve caverns, sometimes filled
with a bright red metallic oxide. Dr. Wiiaon, who
baa been some time resident at the springs, informed
us^ that the continued use of the water occasions sali*
vation, from which it has beea commonly inferred
that mercury exists in the water in sohitio^.

The time of our visit to the springs being one of
very unusual drought, the quantity of water was
somewhat less and the temperature higher than ordi-
nary. The time required to boil eggs,, as much as
they usually are for the table, was fifteen minutes.
In the same time a cup of coffee was made by im-»
mersing our kettle in one of the springs.. [16]

A number of baths have been made^ by hollowing
out excavations in the rock, to which, the hot water
itf constantly flowing^ By cutting off or increasing the
supply the temperature can be regulated at pleasure;
over some of these are built small log cabins> and in
the neighbourhood arc twenty or thirty huts, occU'^
pied at some seasons of the year by persons who
resort hither for the benefit of the waters.

Three miles north-east from the hot springs is a
large fountain of water, of the ordinary tempera4:ure,
forming the source of the small stream already n>en«
tioned as flowing down front tliat direction* It rises
from the summit of a little knoll, six or eight feet
in diameter, and divides intotwostreams, one of which
flows towards the east, the other towards the west.
Both, however^ unite at the base of the knoll, and

153

the brook flows thence south-west, between two pe-
tiosiliceous hills, to its confluence with another from
the north-west, to form the hot spring creek. The
quantity of water cfischarged by this spring can
scarcely be less than jfrom eighty to one hundred
gallons per minute. Immediately on the south rises
a large hill, and the elevation of the spring itselfj^
above the level of the highest of the thermal springs,,
is thought to be not less than one hundred and fifty
fe^t The water is transparent, but has a perceptible
metallic taste, and deposits upon the stones over
which it flows a copioas rust-like sediment. The
spring is known in the neighbouring settlements as.
the " poison spring,'* a name which we were told it
had received from the following circumstance, said
to have taken place many years since. A huntei:
who had been pursuing a bear, and was much ex-
hausted with heat and fatigue, arrived at this spring
in the middle of the day, and finding the water cool,
and not unpleasant to the taste, drank freely of itji,
but immediately afterwards sickened and died. His
death was occasioned, probably, not by any delete-
rious quality in the water, but by the disease com->
monly induced by drinking too largely of cold water
when the body is heated. The neighbouring inhar
bitants, however, imputed the hunter's death to 8ome^
supposed poisonous property in the spring. Not long
afterwards a discontented invalid, residing at tlie hot
springs, came to a resolution of putting a period to»
his own life. This he concluded to bring about by
drinking the water of the poison spring. He accord-
ingly lepaired to it, and after drinking as much as he
could, filled his bottle, and returned home* Instead
of dying, as he had expected, he found himself greatly
benefited by his potation. Notwithstanding this dis*
covery of the sanative quality of the water the spring
still retained its former name. It is however used
without apprehension, and is much resorted to by
people who visit the wacw springs.

154

About two miles to the north-east of this spring, a
little to the left of the road leading to the settlement
of Derdonai, is the principal quarry from which the
Washita oilstones are procured. It is near the
summit of a high and steep hill of the petrosiliceous
rock already mentioned. The oilstones are found
in the perpendicular seams or fissures of the rock,
from which they are detached with little difficulty,
having, as they are dug from the quarry, nearly the
requisite shape and size. They are then carried by
liand^ or thrown to the foot of the precipice, whence
there is an easy transportation of ten or twelve miles
to the Washita. By this river they descend to New
Orleans, and some have been carried thence to New
York, where they are known as the Missouri oil-
stones. These stones are said not to be inferior in
quality to the oilstones from Turkey.

In the immediate neighbourhood of the hot springs
we observed a number of interesting plants. The
American holly (ilex opaca) is a conspicuous and
beautiful tree in the narrow vallies within the moun-
tains. The leaves of another species of ilex (I. cas-
sine), the celebrated cassine naupon frequent about
the springs, are there used as a substitute for tea.
The angelica tree (aralia spinosa, Ph.) is common along
the banks of the creek, rising to the height of twelve
to fifteen feet, and bending beneath its heavy clusters
or purple fruit. The pteris atropurpurea, asplenium
melanoraulon, A, ebeneum, and other filices are found
adhering to the rocks- In the open pine woods the
gennandia pectinata, considered as a variety of G. pe-
dicularia, is one of the most conspicuous objects.

The sources of the Washita are in a high and broken
part of the Ozark mountains, in north latitude 34° 15',
and between 93° and 94° west longitude, and sixty or
an hundred miles south-west of the settlement of
Cadron on the Arkansa. From the same mountainous
district descend towards the north-east the Petit
Jean and LeFevre, tributaries to the Arkansa; on

155

the north-west the upper branches of the Poteau ;
on the south-west the Kiamesha ; and on the south-
east the Mountain, Cossetot, Rolling Forks, and other
streams, discharging into Little river of Red river.
The principal source of the Washita is said to be very
near that of the Fourche Le Fevre, and to descend
towards the west from the same hill, out of which
flow the upper branches of the Le Fevre towards the
east. These particulars are, however, of little im-
portance, except as serving to illustrate the character
of that portion of the country. The whole of that
region is strictly mountainous, and its numerous
streams are rapid and circuitous, winding their way
among abrupt and craggy hills, so thinly covered
with pine and post oak, that the sober gray of the
sandstone is often the prevailing colour of the land-
scape. The hills, at the sources of the Poteau and
the Kiamesha, abound in clay-slate, and a slaty
petrosilex destitute of organic remains, * It is re-
marked by hunters, that the most remote and elevated
sources of all the rivers of this region are joined in or
near extensive woodless plains. As far as this is the
case, it would seem to prove that the existing in-
equalities of the surface have been produced almost
entirely by the currents of water wearing down and
removing extensive portions of the horizontally strati-
fied rocks. In districts where secondary rocks only
are found, as in the country of the Ohio, there appears
little difficulty in attributing this origin to all the
hills; and even in the mountainous district under
consideration, as the most recent rocks, and those of
horizontal stratification, occupy the highest portions
of the hills, we may perhaps be allowed to sup-
pose they formerly covered a much greater extent of
country than at present, overlaying those strata of
more ancient deposition, which now appear upon
the declivities of the mountains. It cannot escape

* Nuttall's Travels, p. 150.

156

the remark of any person who ahaM visit the range of
country, which we cnli the 0«ark mountains, that
the direction of the ridges, (particularly of those
where sand^one is the prevailing rock,) eon&)fms to
the course of the principal streams.

None of the tributaries to the Washita, above the
hot springs, have hitherto been explored. The Little
Missouri and the Fourche-au-Cadea«, enter it in suc-
cession from the west, in the course of a consider-
able bend which it makes to the south, after receiving
the waters of Hot Spring creek. These two streams
run mostly in a mountainous country, though some
fertile lands and some settlements occur on each.
On the Little Missouri, Hunter and Dunbar found
the maclura, a tree confined to fertile soils. The first
considerable stream entering the Washita from the
north is the Saline, rising in three principal branches,
twenty or thirty miles north-west of the hot springs.
The road from Derdonai tb the springs crosses these
streams near their sources, in an extremely rugged
and mountainous region. The Saline, like the Washita
itself in this part, and the other tributaries already
enumerated, is liable to great and sudden floods, and
also to great depression in seasons of drought. Origi-
nating in a mountainous tract, and in the contiauation
of the range so profusely supplied with springs in the
country about the sources of White river, we might
expect that the Washita would be fed by numerous
ana unfailing fountains. It appears, however, to
derive the greater part of its supplies from the water
of rains, and consequently to rise and fall according to
the time of year and the state of the weather. Wliere
Major Long crossed the Washita, on the 31st Decem-
ber 1817> SIX miles south-west of the hot springs, the.
river was one hundred and fifty yai^s wide, about
four feet deep, and extremely rapid.

In the latter part of October 1820, at the time of
our journey, the Washita at Keisler's settlement,
about fifteen miles below the springs, was something

157

less than one hundred yards in width,, flowing in a
deep and unequal channel over a bed of clay-slate.
The water is hei'e tern or fifteen feet deep in many
places, and the currents scarce perceptible ; as we
looked down upon the river from the elevated banks it
appeared like a quiet lake, and the unusual blackness
of the waters suggested the idea of its great depth.
Little groups of naked rocky islands were disclosed
here and there in diflferent parts of the channel* On
examination we found the appaient dark colour of
the water to depend upon the complexion of the
rocks which form the bottom and sides of the l^d,
they being principally of a dark-coloured argillite -;
^nd not only these, but the small fragments of quartz
and other whitish stones, had acquired, from lying in
the water, a peculiar tinge o£ dark brown. We ex-
pected to find an incrustation covering the surfaces
of these stones, but upon examination the colouring
matter seemed inseparably blended with the rock
itself. The water, seen by transmitted light, was en-
tirely transparent, and haid no perceptible saltness.

At the distance of five or six miles south-east from
the hot springs, on the road leading towards the town
of Little Rock, on tlie Arkansa, commences a tract
ol* landy having ia fertile soil and a beautiful situation,
and extending to the Washita. Some parts of this
region afibrd exceptions to the remark generally ap-
|>licable to Arkansa territory, that the best soils are
found in the alluvion of the rivers. Some extensive
districts of primary sdil along the base of the moun-
tains arte of a qiiality rarely surpassed infertility,
bearing hearvy forests of oak, ash, and sugar maple,
which attain h^re to greater size than we ha^e seen
in otiher parts of the U&ked States.

We Elriived tkbout sunset on the £8th at Keisler's
plantation, where we tnade application for permis-
fAoh to spend ihe ni^t. This wds readily granted,
lihoagh) as is iolten the oase ia^ such remote and solitary
fetbitaltionsy the fabuse wm not in the meet complete

158

readiness for the accommodation of travellers. A
quantity of Indian corn was immediately gathered
in the adjoining field, a part of it given to our horses,
and a part prepared for our own supper. During the
green-corn season, which is a time of jubilee and
rejoicing among the agricultural Indians, and scarcely
less so with many or the white settlers, those who
live remote from corn mills use no other bread than
such as we now saw prepared, within the space of an
hour, from the standing corn. Sjuch ears are selected
as are fit for roasting, and the corn grated from the
cob by means of the side of a tin lanthorn, or some
portion of an old coffee-pot, perforated with several
holes. In this state it forms a soft paste, which, with
the addition of a little salt, is spread upon a heated
stone or an iron pan, and baked before the fire. Our
supper consisted of bread of this sort, bear's meat,
and coffee — a treat worthy the attention of an
epicure.

The Cove is a valley commencing among the moun-
tains at no great distance to the east of the hot
springs, and containing a small rivulet which entei-s
the Washita six or eight miles below Keisler*s. This
valley is bounded towards the west by loamy hills,
disclosing at intei'vals cliffs and ledges of clay-
slate and petrosilex. In the lowest part of this valley,
at a place called Roark's settlement, we discovered a
bed of granite forming the basis of a broad hill, which
rose by a very gradual ascent towards the east. We
were directed to the examination which brought us
acquainted with the existence of this rock by the
representation of Roark, that in his corn field, not far
from the house, was a bed of plaister of Paris. Being
conducted to the spot, we found a quantity of loose
granitic soil, that had been raised from a shallow ex-
cavation, and was intermixed with numerous large'
scales of talc. The examination had been carried
a few feet below the surface, and had terminated
upon the granite in question. Having collected

159

several beautiful masses of an aggregate of felspar,
talc and quartz, we returned to the house where our
breakfast was in preparation. Being informed by our
landlord that blue vitriol, native copper, and other in-
teresting minerals, had been formerly discovered near
the sources of the little brook that ran past the house,
we delayed our journey some time, that we might con-
tinue our examination. In following the brook to-
wards its sources, we were much gratified in finding
an extensive bed of native magnet, which seemed to
be embraced in the granite. Not far distant the
same rock contained large masses of pyrites and of
bluish green mica. In these we readily perceived
the blue vitriol and native copper mentioned by our
host. In some places we found the bed of the brook
paved almost exclusively with detached schorls.
We collected also several other interesting imbedded
minerals. More extensive examinations will here-
after show this spot to be one among the most inte-
resting in America to a mineralogist. The great
depth of soil resting upon this formation of granite
prevented our examining it at as many points as we
could wish ; also from ascertaining to our satisfaction
its extent, and its connexion with the neighbouring
rocks. It appears, however, at several points in an
area of fifteen or twenty acres, and always in place.
We saw not a single detached mass at any distance.
This may be owing in part to the perishable structure
of the granite, and in part to its being surrounded on
all sides by more elevated rocks of slate or sandstone.
On the summit of the hill a grave had recently been
dug. In the granitic soil which lay about it we saw
many fragments of pyrites, also uncommonly large
and beautiful laminae of talc intermixed with scales
of mica. These two minerals are, we think, rarely
found in such intimate connexion, yet retaining so
perfectly their distinctive characters, as in the in-
stance under consideration. The talc in some in-
stances forms an integrant part of the granite, and

160

we have seen it blended with mica in the same
specimen.

The road, leading towards the Little Rock on the
Arkansa, passes from the granite of the Cove over a
coarse bard sandstone, embracing beds of conglome-
ratic or pudding-stone, and in many respects closely
resembling some of the varieties of the old red sand^
stone of the Alleghany mountains. Towards the
east the surface of the country rises gradually, and
the sandstone, without giving place to any other
stratum, becomes more micaceous and slaty, and
at length assumes all the characters of a sandstone
accompanying coal.

In the afternoon of the 29th we arrived at Lock-
hart's settlement, on the Saline Fork of the Washita.
The soil of some of the bottom lands along tliis
stream is not inferior to any we have seen west of
the Mississippi. It is well watered, and aboimds in
excellent timber. Pine and oak are intermixed with
the ash, hickory, and sugar maple. Here are some
well cultivated gardens, and extensive plantations of
corn, cotton, and tobacco. Mr. Lockhart and his
family, who are emigrants from North Carolina, con-
sider the climate more agreeable than that of the
country they came from, and have continued, during
a residence of several years, to enjoy good health.
We could not fail to attribute this remarkable exemp-
tion from disease, in a great measure, to the regula-
rity, neatness, and good order of their domestic
economy.

October 30th. In crossing some brdken ridges of
sandstone, which occupy the high and uninhabited
tract between the vallies of the Arkansa and Washita,
we fbllbwed the obscure path communicating be-
tween the settlements on the Saline and the town of
Little Rock. As we were descending from one of
these ridges our attention was called to an unusual
noise, proceeding from a copse of low bushes on oiur
right, at a f^w rods ftoat the path. On arriving at

161

the spot we found two buck deer, their horns fast
interlocked with each other, and both much spent
with fatigue, one, in particular, being so much ex-
hausted as to be unable to stand. As we perceived
it would be impossible they should extricate them-
selves, and must either linger in their present situa-
tion until they died of hunger, or were destroyed by
the wolves, we despatched them with our knives, not
without having first made an unavailing attempt to
disentangle their antlers. Leaving their bodies in
the place where we had killed them, we called at the
cabin of a settler, which we found withip a few miles,
and requested him to go back and fetch the venison
for the use of his family.

From the occasional occurrence* of the skulls cf
deer and elk with the horns interlocked with each
othery and from the fact above mentioned, it appears
that the contests of these animals at the rutting sea-
son often prove fatal to both parties. From the
form of the horns, and the manner of fighting, it
seems probable they mu^t often bp entangled with
each other, and when this is tlie case both fall an
easy prey to the wolves.

The Saline has an entire length of about one hun-
dred and fifty miles, running all the way nearly pa-
rallel to the Washita, to its confluence near the
latitude 33° north. After entering the state of Loui-
siana, the Washita receives from the east the Bar-
thelemi, the Boeuf, the Macon, and the Tensa, all
of which, having their sources near the west bank of
the Mississippi, may be considered as inosculating
branches of that river, since at times of high floods
they are fed from the Mississippi. The western tri-
butaries are the Saluder, Derbane, and Ocatahoola,
deriving their sources from a spur of the Ozark moun-
tains, which, in the northern part of Louisiana, di-
vides the broad alluvial valley of Red river from that
of the Mississippi. About twenty miles south-west
from the confluence of the Tensa, Washita, and Oca-

VOL. in. M

162

tahoola, the latter expands into a considerable lake,
and sends off a branch to Red riven Indeed the
Washita might, without great impropriety, be consi-
dered as entering the Mississippi at the point where
its waters unite with those of the Ocatahoc^a and
Tensa. The periodical inundations cover the country
westward to this point, and even in times of low
water the channels communicating with the Missis-
sippi are numerous. From this point there is an un-
interrupted connexion, through a system of lakes
and watercourses, stretching along parallel to the
Mississippi, about thirty miles distant, and commur
nicating, through the river and lake Atchofalaya, with
the gulf of Mexico, at a point more than one hun^-
dred and fifty miles west of the principal debouchure
of the Mississippi.

163

CHAPTER XI.

BED RIVER. — EXPLORING EXPEDITION OF 1806. RETtJRN

TO THE ARKANSA. — EARTHQUAKES.

1 HE Red river of Louisiana enters the Mississippi
from the west, in north latitude 31° 5[*\ and in 16° 35'
west longitude from Philadelphia. From the Missis-
sippi to the mouth of Black river (as the Washita is
called below the confluence of the Ocatahoola and
Tensa) is twenty-six miles by water. The aggregate
width of Red river, for this distance, is from three
hundred to three hundred and fifty yards. The
depth of the water in summer varies, according to
the actual measurement of Messrs. Freeman and Hum-
phrey, from eighty-four to forty-two feet, the range
from extreme high to low- water is from twenty-five
to thirty feet, and the banks are elevated from four-
teen to twenty-five feet above the surface of the river
at low-water. At no great distance, on each side^ is
a second alluvial bank, rising a few feet higher than
the immediate bank of the river. Back of this the sur-
face is elevated nearly to high-water mark, but de-
scends gradually towards the lakes and swamps,
which occur along both sides of the valley of the river.
In the wet season the lower part of Red and Black
rivers are lost in an extensive lake, covering the
country from the Mississippi westward near one hun-
dred miles to the settlement of the Avoyelles.

The distinction made by Du Pratz, between the
country on the south and that on the north side of
Red river, appears to be strictly applicable only to

* EUicott; 31' 1' \b\ according to M. dc Ferrer^

M 2

164

the part lying below the point where Red river enters;
the immediate valley of the Mississippi. [17]

Above the confluence of Black river the bed of
Red river immediately contracts to one hundred and
twenty yards, which is its average width from this
point to the rapids seventy-two miles above : the
current becomes in a corresponding degree more
rapid, running with a velocity of from two and a
half to three miles per hour, at a moderate stage of
water, in the early part of summer. The average
depth in this section is stated at from eighteen
to twenty feet, at a time when the water is twenty-
one feet below its maximum of elevation. The banks
are generally bold and steep on one side or the other,
and often on both. The bottom lands are level 6nd
exceedingly fertile, but bear the marks of periodical
inundation. The forests of the lower section of Red
river differ little from those of the Mississippi and
the Arkansa. White gum, cotton-wood, pecan,
locusts, white oak, mulberry, sycamore, hackberry,
and cypress occupy the low grounds, while the low
and scattered hills are covered with pine, intermixed
with a small proportion of oak and hickory. The
only portion of the low lands in any sort fit for culti-
vation is a narrow strip immediately on each bank»
commencing a little above the mouth of Black river,
and enlarging upwards ; but even here the settler is
not secure, as uncommon swellings of the river some-
times lay the whole under water. Aside from this,
the extreme insalubrity of the air, occasioned by the
vicinity of extensive swamps, stagnant ponds, and
lagoons, tends to retard the progress of settlements in
this quarter.

At the rapids the river spreads to three hundred
yai'ds in width. The banks are thirty feet high, and
never overflowed. Here has for many years been a
settlement. The soil of the nefighbouring country is
extremely fertile. A bed of soft sandstone, or indu-
rated clay> crosses the river, causing a fall of ten feet

6

165

in fifty yards. " This stone, when exposed to the
air, becomes as hard as free-stone ; but under water it
is found as soft as chalk. A cliannel could, with very
little labour or expense, be cut through atiy part of
the bed of the river, and need not be extended more
than two hundred yards. It appears to me that twenty
men, in ten days, with mattocks only, could at low
water open a channel suflSciently wide and deep for
all the barges that trade in this river to pass with
safety and ease/* * Three quarters of a mile above
this rapid is another, very similar in extent and
magnitude.

Thirty miles above the rapids we find the river
divided into two beds, each having a high bold
bank. The right-hand chaimel contains about one
third of the volume of water of the whole river. They
separate from each other four or five miles below
Natchitoches, and unite again here, forming an
island sixty miles long and five wide.

The right-hand branch is called by the French
Rigolle Bon Dieu, and the other Old river. Another
island, commencing one-fourth of a mile below Nat-
chitoches, extends parallel to that above mentioned,
thirty-four miles and a half; this is about four miles
wide. The current, in all the branchea which lie be-
tween these islands and the main-shore, is rapid, but
not equally so. The description already given of the
valley of the river is applicable to this portion ;
on each side the surface descends from the river,
terminating in a line of pools and cypress swamps,
which extend along the base of the bluff. Settlements
were here somewhat numerous in 1806. The sinall
cottages are placed near the bank of the river, and
the cultivated lands extend back but a little distance,
" The inhabitants," says Freeman " are a mixture of
French, Spanish, Indian, and Negro blood, the latter
often predominating.'*

* Freeman's MS. Report to W. Duobar, esq,

M 3

166

The separation of the water of the river into three
distinct branches, each confined within high and
steep banks, raised twenty and even thirty feet above
the medium elevation of the water, and their reunion,
after traversing severally an extent of sixty and thirty
miles, might at first view appear a matter of curious
inquiry ; but upon the slightest investigation it will
be discovered that this whole country adjacent to the
river has been made or raised to its present elevated
position by frequent inundation and depositions from
the water. This evidently appears from the great
quantities of timber frequently seen as you ascend
the river, deposited as low as low-water mark, under
steep banks of different heights from twelve to thirty
feet.

Red river takes its name from the colour of its
water, which is in time of floods of a bright red, and
partakes more or less of this colour throughout the
year. There can be no doubt the colouring matter
on which this tinge depends is derived from the
red sandstone of the salt lormation already described
when speaking of the sources of the Canadian river
of Arkansa, although no person qualified to give a
satisfactory account of the country has hitherto
traced Red river to that formation. We propose to
add some brief notices of this important river, derived
from the unpublished materials of the exploring party
sent out by the government of the United States in
1806; also from the notes of Major Long, who
visited the upper settlements in 1817; not neglecting
such additional information from the works of Darby,
Nuttali, and others who have written of Louisiana,
as may appear deserving of confidence. .

Rea river was explored at a very early period by
the French, but their examinations appear to have
extended no farther than to the country of the Nat*
chitoches and the Cadoes*; and although subsequent

* In 1 700 M. de Bienville ascended the Red river to the country
of the Natchitoches and Yatassee Indians, but could find no Spanish

167

examinations have a little enlarged our acquaintance
with it3 upper branches, we are still unfortunately
ignorant of the position of its sources. Three years
after the cession of Louisiana to the United States,
a small party, known by the name of the ** Exploring
Expedition of Red river," and consisting of Captain
Sparks, Mr. Freeman, Lieut. Humphrey, and Dr.
Custis, with seventeen private soldiers, two non*
commissioned officers, and a black servant, embarked
from St. Catherine's landing, near Natchez, on board
several barges and small boats, with instructions to
ascend Red river to its sources. On the 3d of May
1806 they entered Red river, expecting to be able
to ascend with their boats to the country of the
Pawnee Piqua Indians* Here it was their intention
to leave their boats, and packing their provision on
horses which they should purchase of the Pawnees,
they were to " proceed to the top of the mountains,*'
the distance being, as they believed,, about three hun*
dred miles.

On the 1 9th of May they arrived at Natchitoches,
distant from the Mississippi 184 miles 266 perches,
measured by log-line and time. At this place they
delayed some days ; and having received information
that their progress would be opposed by theSpaniards>
they resolved to increase the strength of their party
by retaining a detachment which had been ordered
by the secretary at war to join them at Natchitoches,
^* for the purpose of assisting the exploring party to
ascend the river to the upper end of the Great Raft,
and to continue as far afterwards as might appear
necessary to repel by force any opposition they might
meet with." Accordingly^ twenty men were selected
from the garrison at Natchitoches, and, under the
command of Lieutenant Duforest, joined the explor-

establishments in that quarter. TheYatassee village was about
forly miles north-west of the present town of Natchitoches, in
ike settlement of 'Bayou Pierre.

Darbfjf on the Authority of La Harpe.

M 4

168

ing party. They were now thirty-seven in number
aside fiom the officers, and were furnished with a
supply of flour sufficient for nine months' provision.
On the 2d of June they left Natchitoches, and pro-
ceeded towards their destination. The journal of
their tour by Mr. Freeman, which h^s been obligingly
put into our hands by General D. Parker, is ex-
tremely circumstantial, and embrace's much valuable
information. We make use of it, without particular
reference, whenever we have occasion to speak of that
part of Red river visited by the expedition. On the
7th of June the party were overtaken, near a small
village of Natchitoclies and Paskagoulas, by an Indian
guide and interpreter, whom they had hired at Nat-
chitoches. He brought a letter from Dr. Sibley, the
Indian agent, giving information that a detachment
of Spanish troops were already on their march from
Nacogdoches, with a design to intercept the explor-
ing party. At the distance of one hundred and two
miles above Natchitoches they left the bed of the
river, turning out through one of tliose numerous com-
munications called Bayous, which connect the prin-
cipal channel with those lateral chains of lakes, pools,
swamps, and marshes, which extend along the sides
of the valley. Their design in leaving the river was
to avoid that singular obstruction to the navigation
called the Great Raft, having been informed by
Mr. Toolan, an old and respectable French inhabit-
ant, that it would be impossible for them to pass
through it. They had already encountered three
similar obstructions, through which they had made
their way with extreme toil, by loosening and float-
ing out the logs and trunks of trees, that had been
piled upon each other in such numbers as to fill
the bed of the river from the bottom, usually at the
depth of thirty feet, and rising three or four feet
above the surface of the water.

The Bayou Datche, as the part of the river is
called into which they entered, conducted them to a

169

beautiful lake called Big Broth. * It is thus described
by Mr. Freeman. '^ This beautiful sheet of water
extends, from the place we first entered it, seventy
miles in a north-westerly direction ; and, as far as we
saw it, is beautifully variegated with handsome clumps
of cypress trees thinly scattered in it ; on the right-
hand side it is bounded by high land, which ascends
from the surface of the water, and at the distance of
one hundred yards is elevated about forty feet, and
covered with forests of black oak, hickory, dog- wood,
&c. ; soil good second-rate. It is bounded on the left
by a low plain covered with cypress trees and bushes.
The depth of water is from two to six feet. High-
water mark ten feet above the present surface. It is
called by the Indians Big Broth^ from the vast quan*
titles of froth seen floating on its surface at high
water. The passage out of this lake is by a very
difficult communication, through bayous, into another
very handsome lake of about one mile wide called
Swan lake, and so on, through long crooked bayous,
lakes, and swamps, full of dead standing timber.**
Having made their way for many days along this
chain of lakes, they were at length anxious to return
to the river. After searching several days for a
passage, and finding their pilot incapable to direct
them, they resolved to wait while they could send
messengers by land to the Coashatay village t, and
procure a guide. The return of this messenger
brought them some information calculated to aid in
extricating themselves from the labyrinth of lakes in
which they were bewildered, also the promise of the
Coashatay chief, that he would join the party himselJ^
and conduct them to the river. This promise, how-
ever, it was not his intention to fulfil. The party
therefore, on the 20th of June, resumed their search
for a passage, returning some distance on their route*

* Lake Bistineau^ ' -J- Coshatta, Darby ^ 8tc,

170

Qn the Q5th they discovered a narrow and obstructed
channel, through which, after removing several rafts,
trees, &c. they found their way into the river.
" Thus,** says the journal of the expedition, " after
fourteen days of incessant fatigue, toil and danger,
doubt and uncertainty, we at length gained the river
above the Great Raft, contrary to the decided opinion
of every person who had any knowledge of the diffi-
culties we had to encounter.'*

The distance from Natchitoches to the point
where the party entered Red river, above the Great
Kaft, is two hundred and one miles by the meanders
of their route. Above the Raft the river is two
hundred and thirty yards wide, thirty-four feet deep,
and has a very gentle current. The banks are ten or
twelve feet high. On the north side the lands rise
considerably at a little distance, and are Covered with
heavy forests of oak, poplar, and red cedar. At the
Coashatay village, about twenty miles above the
Great Raft, the commander of the exploring party
received information, by an express, from the chief
of the principal village of the Cadoes, which is thirty
miles farther to the west, " that about three hundred
Spanish dragoons, with four or five hundred horses
and mules, were encamped near that village, with the
design toprevent the further progress of the Ameri-
cans.** The Coashatay and Cadoe Indians of this
part of Red river are an agricultural half-civilized
people, like the Cherokees.

On the 1 St of July a messenger arrived at the en-
campment of the party, near the Coashatay village,
giving information of the near approach of tne Cadoe
chief, with forty young men and warriors of his
village. About noon they made their appearance on
the opposite bank of the river, and kept up, for a few
minutes, an irregular firing by way of salute. This
was returned both from the camp and the village, in
a manner highly gratifying to the Cadoe party. Thq

171

customary ceremonies used in meeting Indians being
past, an exchange of complimentary speeches fol-
lowed.

The Cadoe chief expressed great uneasiness on
account of the Spaniards who were encamped near
his village. Their commandant, he said, had comei
to see him, had taken him by the hand, and asked
him, if he loved the Americans ; he answered, he did
not know what to say, but if the Spaniards wished to
fight the Americans, they might go down to Nat-
chitoches, and fight them there ; but they should not
shed blood in his territories. He said he was pleased
with what he had heard respecting the designs of
the exploring party ; he wished them to go on and
see all his country, and all his neighbours. " You
have far to go, and will meet with many difficulties,
but I wish you to go on. My friends, the Pawnees,
will be glad to see you, and will take you by the hand.
If you meet with any of the Huzaa's (Osages), and
kill them, I will dance for a month. If they kill any of
your party, I will go with my young men and warriors,
and we will be avenged for you.** The soldiers be-
longing to the expedition having paraded in open order
and single file, the forty young Cadoes commenced on
the right of the line, and marching towards the left,
shook each man by the hand in the most earnest
manner. When their leader had reached the other
extremity of the line, they instantly placed them^
selves in a corresponding line, about three paces
distant, and their partizan or principal warrior deli-
vered a short address to the serjeant.

" Here we are,'* said he, " all men and warriofs
shaking hands together, let us holdfast, and be friends
for ever.** It was said by the interpreter he prefaced
his observation by saying, he was glad to see that his
new brothers had the faces of men, and looked like
men and warriors.

After a delay of a few days the Cadoe chief, pro-
fessing the moat friendly disposition towards the exi

172

ploring party, withdrew with his young men to his
own village. On the 11th of July the oflScers of the
party, having as yet no certain knowledge of the
aesigns of the Spaniards, re-embarked on board their
little fleet, and began to ascend Red river from
the Coashatay village, having engaged the Cadoe
chief to watch the motions of the Spanish troops, and
to give timely notice of any thing interesting to the
expedition. The river, above the Coashatay village,
became very crooked and wide, and the water was
so low that the boats were often, aground, though
they drew no more than from sixteen to twenty
inches of water.

On the 26th of July, in the afternoon, three Indians
appeared on the sand-beach, who were found to be
the runners sent from the Cadoe chief, agreeable to
previous engagement. They brought information
that the Spaniards had returned to Macogdoches, for
a .reinforcement and new instructions ; that six days
since they had arrived at the Cadoe village, about
one thousand strong ; that they had cut down the
United States' flag in the Cadoe village, and had
said, it was their intention to destroy the exploring
party. They had taken from the Cadoe village two
young men to conduct them to a handsome bluff, a
few miles above where they were now encamped, to
await the arrival of the party. The Indian messengers,
and the Cadoes who had remained with the party,
appeared much alarmed, and intfeated the com-
manding officer to return, saying, if they met the
Spaniards, not one would come back alive. The dis-
tance to the Spanish camp was three days* journey.
On the following day the party made a deposit of
some of their most important papers, with a small
stock of ammunition, provisions, and astronomical
instruments in a retired place, that they might not
be entirely destitute of resources after the contem-
plated rencontre^with the Spaniards should have taken
place. At sunset, on the 28th of July, as they wert

173

about to encamp, they heard several guns a-head of
them, which left no doubt that they had arrived
near the Spanish camp. On^ the ensuing morning
Captain Sparks, Mr. Freeman, and a favourite Indian,
walked a-head of the boats, along the sand-beach,
with their guns in their hands. The Indian soon
discovered some tracks, ran hastily up among the
bushes on the bank, and then returning, made sigtis
that the Spaniards were there. The party was now
halted, the arms examined, and put in readiness for
immedikte action ; then all went on board the boats,
and they continued their ascent, as if they had
known nothing of the Spanish troops. The advanced
guard which the Indian had discovered consisted of
twenty-two men, stationed a mile and a half below the
encampment of the main body. On seeing the boats
they fled instantly, and hid themselves in the woods,
leaving behind their clothes and provisions.

On turning the next bend they commanded a beau-
tiful view of the river, extending about a mile, with
steep banks on both sides, and level sand beaches,
occupying more than half the bed of the river. On
one of these, at the distance of half a mile, they dis-
covered a sentinel, and soon afterwards saw a detach-
ment of horse gallop from thence through the small
cotton-wood bushes near the next bend of the river,
and shortly after return to their former station. As it
was now the middle of the day, the exploring party
halted according to custom, and kindled fires to pre-
pare their dinner.

About half an hour after they had halted, a large
detachment from the Spanish camp were seen riding
down the sand-beach, enveloped in such a cloud of
dust that their numbers could not be accurately esti-
mated. The soldiers belonging to the exploring
party were sent to take possession of a thick cane
brake on the immediate bank of the river, at a short
distance above the boats, to be in readiness, should
there be occasion^ to attack the advancing party oh

174

thdr flank. A non-commissioned officer and six men
were sent still farther up the river, and ordered to be
in readiness to assail the Spaniards in the rear.

The advancing party of horse came on at full
9peed, and neglecting the first challenge of the two
sentinels stationed at some distance in advance of
the boats. When the sentinels cried " halt** the second
time, they cocked their pieces, and were in the act
of presenting them to fire, when the Spanish squadron
halted, and displayed on the beach about one hundred
and fifty yards distant. Their officers moved slowly
forward, and were met by Captain Sparks, whom the
Spanish commandant politely saluted, and a parley en-
sued, which continued about three-quarters of an
hour. The Spaniards being greatly superior in
numbers, and expressing a determined resolution to
fulfil their orders, which were to prevent, at all ha-
zards^ the farther progress of the exploring expedi-
tion, the officers of that party reluctantly consented
to relinquish their undertaking. The spot where this
interruption took place is two hundred and thirty
miles by water above the Coashatay village, conse-
quently -six hundred and thirty-five miles above the
mouth of Red river.

Below this point it appears the river and the
country lose, in a great measure, the peculiar cha-
racters which belong to the region of recent alluvial
lands near the mouth of the river. Swamps, bayous,
and lagoons, are less frequent ; the forests are more
open, the trees smaller, and the soil less fertile and
open ; meadows more frequent here than below. A
portion of Red river above, between this point and
the upper settlements, is but imperfectly known.

The average direction of Red river, as far as it
has been hitherto explored, from the confluence of
the Kiamesha^ in latitude 33° 3(y, to its junction with
the Mississippi in 31° 5', is from north-west to south-
east. Above the Kiamesha it is supposed to flow
more directly from west to east. The streams tri-

175

butafjr to Red river are comparatively small and few'
in number. Above the Washita the principal are the
Little river of the south and the Little river of the
north, both entering near the north-western angle of
the state of Louisiana, and both hitherto little known.
The next in order is the Kiamesha^ rising in the
Ozark mountains, opposite the Poteau, and entering
Red river about one thousand miles from the Mis-
sissippi. The Kiaraesha has been explored from its
sources to its confluence by Major Long, who first
visited it in I8I7. The country about the sources
of this river is mountainous, being broken into nu-
merous irregular peaks and ridges, of an old ferru-
ginous sandstone, with its stratifications highly in-
clined towards the south. The timber in the moun-
tainous country is the yellow pine, intermixed with
red^ white, ana mountain oak, the small chesnut, the
American box or bop hornbeam (ostrya virginica),
the red cedar, kc^

In the low lands, towards Red river, all the forest
trees common to the valley of the Arkansa are founds
with the addition of the maclura, which is now so rare
about the Arkansa that it can scarcely be said to
make a part of the forests there. Extensive prairies
exist on the lower part of the Kiamesha, some of
which command delightful views of the surrounding
country. Before you lies the great valley of Red
river, exhibiting a pleasing variety of forests and
lawns J beyond rises the gentle slope of the Ozark
mountains, imprinting the broad outline of their azure
summits upon the margin of the sky. At the mouth
of the Kiamesha, Red river is about two hundred
yards wide. Its course is meandering, forming points
alternately on the right and left, termiilating in sand-
bars, covered with red mud or clay, deposited from
the water of the river^ In its lowest stage the river
may be forded at any place, so that a person may
pass along the bed, as in the Canadian, by travelling
on the san4-bars, and occasionally crossing the water

176

between them. The soil and climate of Red' river
are said to be peculiarly adapted to the culture of
cotton. The crop sometimes yields twenty-five hun-
dred pounds of seed-cotton per acre, and this of a
quality inferior to none, except the Sea island.

Of the Vaseau, or Boggy Bayou, and the Blue river,
two considerable streams tributary to Red river, next
above the Kiamesha, we have little information.
They appear to enter like what are called the north
and south forks of the Canadian, near the foot of the
western slope of the Ozark mountains. Above these
the principal tributary is the Faux Onachitta, or False
Washita, from the north, which has been described to us
(by Mr. Findlay, an enterprising hunter, whose pur-
suits often led him to visit its banks), as bearing a very
near resemblance to the Canadian river of Arkansa.

We are as yet ignorant of the true position of the
sources of Red river ; but we are well assured the long
received opinion, that its principal branch rises
^* about thirty or forty miles east of Santa Fe,*' is
erroneous.

Several persons have recently arrived at St. Louis
in Missouri, from Santa Fe, and, among others, the
brother of Captain Shreeves, who gives information
of a large and frequented road, which runs nearly
due east from that place, and strikes one of the
branches of the Canadian, that at a considerable dis-
tance to the south of this point in the high plain is
the principal source of Red river. His account
confirms an opinion we had previously formed,
namely, that the branch of the Canadian explored
by Major Long's party, in August 1820, has its
sources near those of some stream which descends
towards the west into the Rio Del Norte, and con-
sequently that some other region must contain the
head of Red river. From a careful comparison of
all the information we have been able to collect, we
are satisfied that the stream on which we encamped,
on the Slst of Augu&t is the Rio Raijo of Hiiinboldt,

177

long mistaken for the source of this Red riVer of
Natchitoches, and that our camj) of September 2d was
within forty or fifty miles east from Santa Fe. In
a region of red clay and sand, where all the streams
have nearly the colour of arterial blood, it is not surpris-
ing that several rivers should have received the sanie
name ; nor is it surprising that so accurate a topo-
grapher as the Baron Humboldt, having learned that
a Red riveir rises forty or fifty miles east of Santa F6,
and runs to the east, should conjecture it might be
the source of the Red river of Natchitoches. This
conjecture (for it is no more) we believe to have
been adopted by out geographers, who have with
much confidence made their delineations and their
accounts correspond^ to it.

In relation to the climate of the country on Red river
we have received little definite information. The jour-
nal of the Exploring Expedition contains a record of
thermometric observations for thirty-six days, com-
mencing with June 1st, 1806, and extending to July
6th. These were made between Natchitoches and the
Coashatay village ; and the temperature, both of the
air and the water of the river, are noted three times
per day, at 6 a. m. and 3 and 9 p. m. They indicate a
climate extremely mild and equable. The range of
atmospheric temperature is from 72^ to 93^ Fah.
that of the water from 79* to 92°. The daily oscilla-
tions are nearly equal, and the aggregate temperature
rises slowly and uniformly towards midsurhnier.

From Lockhart's settlement on the Saline river of
Washita to Little Rock on the Arkansa, is a distance
about twenty-five miles. As we approached the Ar-
kansa, we found the country less broken and rocky
than above. The soil of the uplands is gravelly and
comparatively barren, producing almost exclusively
scattered forests of oak, while along the streams aire
small tracts of extremely fertile bottom lands. In
some of the vaUies, however, the cypress appears
filling extensive swamps, and imparting a gloomy and

VOL. III. N

178

unpromising aspect to the countiy. This tree is
well known in all the southern section of the United
States, to indicate a low and marshy soil, but not
universally one which is irreclaimable. It is rarely if
ever met with north of the latitude of 38^ In many
respects, particularly in the texture, firmness, and
durability of its wood, and in its choice of situation,
it resembles the white cedar • of the northern states,
but far surpasses it in size, being one of the largest
trees in North America. " There is," says Du Pratz,
" a cypress tree at Baton Rouge, which measures
twelve yards round, and is of prodigious height/' In
tiie cypress swamps, few other trees, and no bushes
are to be seen, and the innumerable conic excres-
cences called knees, which spring up from the roots,
resembling the monuments in a church-yard, give a
gloomy and peculiar aspect to the scenery of those
cypress swamps. The old error of Du Fratz, with
regard to the manner of the reproduction of the
cypress, is still maintained by great numbers of
people who never heard of his book. " It renews
itself,*' says he, "in a moat extraordinary manner: —
A short time after it is cut down a shoot is observed
to grow from one of its roots, exactly in the form of
a sugarloaf, and this sometimes rises ten feet high
before any leaf appears ; the branches at length rise
from the head of this conical ^hoot." p. 239. We
have often been reminded of this account of Du
Pratz, by hearing the assertion among the settlers,
that the cypress never grows from the seed ; it would
appear, however, that he could have been little
acquainted with the tree, or he would have been
aware that the conic excrescences in question spring
up and grow during the life-time of the tree, but never
after it is cut down.

At Little Rock, a village of six or eight houses, we
found several of the members of a missionary family

* Thuja occidentalis.

179

destined to the Osages; They had exposed them-
selves during the heat of summer to the pestilen-
tial atmosphere of the Lower Mississippi arid Arkansa;
and we were not surprised, when we considered their
former habits, to find they had suffered most severely
from their imprudence. They had all been sick, and
two or three of their number had died ; the survivors,
we understood, were on the recovery. They had.
been some time at Little Rock, the water in the
Arkansa having fallen so low as to render their fur-
ther ascent impracticable.

The village of Little Rock occupies the summit
of a high bank of clay-slate on the south-west side of
the Arkansa. Its site is elevated, and the country
immediately adjoining, in a great measure, exempt
from the operation of those causes which produce a
state of the atmosphere unfavourable to health. It
is near the commencement of the hilly country, and
for a part of the year will be at the head of steam-
boat navigation on the Arkansa. The country in
the rear of the projected town is high, and covered
for the most part with open oak forests.

October 3d. We left Little Rock at an early hour^
taking the road towards Davidsonville. This led us
for about four miles through the deep and gloomy
forests of the Arkansa bottoms. Here we saw the
ricinus palma christi growing spontaneously by tht
road side, and rising to the height of twelve or four^
teen feet. We arrived at Little Red river by about
nine o'clock, the distance from the Arkansa being
not more than eight or nine miles. In the high and
rocky country about White river, we fell in with the
route which had been pursued by Major Long and
his party, and following this, we reached Cape Girar-
deau a few days after their arrival. The distance
from Belle Point to Little Rock by the way of the
hot springs is two hundred and ten miles, from Little
Rock to Cape Girardeau three hundred j in the whole,
five hundred and ten miles.

N 2

180

Major Long's notes of a tour m the Arhaiwft ter-
ritory contain tables of meteorological observations,
showing the variations of temperature from S^
temberSOth, 1817, to January 31st, 1818. The coun-
try in which these observations were made, is that
between the Arkansa at Fort Smith, and the Ked
river at the mouth of the Kiamesha, about the hot
springs of the Washita, the settlement of Cadron,. &c.
Here we find in the month of January the mercury
Bt zero, and shortly after at 58% a degree of cold
that would not discredit the climate of Moscow, and
a rapidity of change and violence of vicissitude; to
compare with the , ever- varying temperature of the
Atlantic states. We might expect in the latitude of
34% and in a region placed along the south-eastern
slope of a moderately elevated range of mountains^
a mild and equable climate. But almost every por-
tion of the territory of the United States seems alike
exposed to the influence of the western , and north-
western winds, refrigerated in their passage over the
wide and frozen regions of the Rocky Mountains, and
rushing down unobstructed across the naked plains of
the great desert,, penetrating with almost unmitigated
rigour to the Atlantic coast. It is proper to remark,
that the winter of 1817-18 was- considered one of
unusual severity in the Arkansa territory. From the
accounts of Hunter and Dunbar, it appears, that in
Qecember 1804i the weather was much milder in the
s^q portion of country. An alligator was seen in
December many miles above the confluence of the
Siline Fork, and even at the hot springs many plants
wei^ in flower, and the ground in the woods had
considerable appearance of verdure. We have been
aswired by emigrants from North Carolina, that the
winter temperature of the country, about the upper
branches ot the Washita, is more mild and equable
than that of the corresponding latitudes on the
Atlantic coast.

181

On the 13th October the exploring party were all
assembled at Cape Gh-ardeau. Lieutenant Graham,
with the steam-boat Western Engineer, had arrived
a day or two before from St. Louis ; having delayed
there some time subsequent to his return from the
Upper Mississippi. In the discharge of the duties
on which he had been ordered, Lieutenant G. and all
his party had suffered severely from bilious and in-
termitting fever.

A few days subsequent to mir arrival at Cape Gi-
rardeau, the greater number of those who had been
of the party by land, experienced severe attacks of
intermitting fever; none escaped, except Captain Bell,
Mr.Peale, and Lieutenant Swift. Major Long and
Captain Kearney, who had continued their journey
immediately towards St. Louis, were taken ill at St.
Genevieve, and the latter confined some weeks.
The attack was almost simultaneous in the cases of
those of the party who remained at Cape Girardeau ;
and it is highly probable we had all received the im-
pression which produced the disease nearly at the
same time. The interruption of accustomed habits,
and the discontinuance of the excitement afforded by
travelling, may have somewhat accelerated the at-
tack. We had observed that we had felt somewha:t
less than the usual degree of health, since breathing
the impure and offensive atmosphere of the Arkatisk
bottoms about Belle Point, and there we have nt)
doubt the disease fastened upon us. In every in-
stance, we had the opportunity of observing, thfe
attack assumed the form of a daily iptermittent. TTife
cold stage commenced with a sensation of languot
and depression, attended with almost incessant yaiVfi-
ing, and a disinclination to motion, soon followed by
shivering, and a distressing sensation of cold. These
symptoms pass off^ gradually, and the hot stage suc-
ceeds. The degree of fever is usually somewhat pf Ipr-
portidned to the violence of the cold fit, the respira-
tioa becomes full And frequent, the faCfc fhisbfed, tbt

N 3

182

skin moist, and the patient falls into a heavy slumber ;
on awaking, after some time, extreme languor and ex-
haustion are felt, though few symptoms of fever remain.
This routine of most uncomfortable feelings, com-
mencing at nine or ten in the morning, occupied for
some time the greater part of our days. Late at
evening, and during the night, we suffered less. In-
termitting fevers are of such universal occurrence in
every part of the newly-settled country to the west,
that every person is well acquainted with the symp-
toms, and has some favourite method of treatment.
A very common practice, and one productive of
much mischief, is that of administering large draughts
of whiskey and black pepper previous to the acces-
sion of the cold stage. Applications of this kind may
sometimes shorten the cold fit, but the consequent
fever is comparatively increased, and the disease
rendered more obstinate. The Peruvian bark is much
used, but often so injudiciously as to occasion great
mischief.

Cape Girardeau, formerly the seat of justice for a
county of the same name, is one of the oldest settle-
ments in Upper Louisiana, having been for a long
time the residence of a Spanish intendant or govemon
Occupying the first considerable elevation on the
western bank of the Mississippi, above the mouth of
Ohio, and affording a convenient landing for boats,
it promises to become a place of some little import-
ance, as it must be the dep6t of a fertile district of
country, extending from the commencement of the
great swamp on the south-east to the upper branches
of the St. Francis. The advantages of its situation
must be considered greater than those of the settle-
ments of Yynwapatia and New Madrid, which are
not sufficiently elevated. It is at the commencement
of the hilly country, extending up the Mississippi to
the confluence of the Missouri, north-west of the
Gasconade and Osage rivers, ^nd south-west to the
province of Texas. Two or tJiree miles below Cape

183

Girardeau the C)rpress swamps commence, extending
with little interruption far to the south.

The town comprises at this time about twenty log-
cabins, several of them in ruins, a log-jail no longer
occupied, a large unfinished brick dwelling, falling
rapidly to decay, and a small one finished and occu-
pied. It stands on the slope, and part of the summit
of a broad hill, elevated about one hundred and fifty
feet above the Mississippi, and having a deep primary
soil resting on horizontal strata of com pact and sparry
limestone. Near the place where boats usually land
is a point of white rocks, jutting into the Mississippi;
and at a very low stage of water producing a percep-
tible rapid. These are of a white sparry limestone,
abounding in remains of encrini and other marine
animals. If traced some distance, they will be found
to alternate with the common blue compact limestone,
so frequently seen in secondary districts. Though
the stratifications of this sparry limestone are horii
zontal, the rock is little divided by seams and fissures,
and would undoubtedly afford a valuable marble, not
unlike the Darling marble quarried on the Hudson.

The streets of Cape Girardeau are marked out
with formal regularity, intersecting each other at
right angles ; but they are now in some parts so gullied
and torn by the rains, as to be impassable ; in others,
overgrown with such thickets of gigantic vernonias
and urticas, as to resemble small forests. The
country, back of the town, is hilly, covered with
heavy forests of oak, tulip-tree, and nyssa, intermixed
in the vallies with the sugar-tree and the fagus syl-
vatica, and on the hills, with an undergrowth of the
American hazel, and the shot-bush or angelica tree.
Settlements are considerably . advanced, and many
well-cultivated farms occur in various directions.

Two or three weeks elapsed previous to Major
Long's return from St.Louis ; when, notwithstanding
his ill health, he left Cape Girardeau immediately, as

N 4

184

did Captain Bell, ,hoth inteiJidipg to prosec^te^ ivitb-*
out delay, their journey to the seat of govjeriiineQt*

About the 1st of No venjiber, Messrs. Say, -Qrah^m,
and Seymour had so far recovered their health, a^ to
venture on undertaking a voyage to New OrlearOS o^
their way home. They left Cape Girardeau in a
small boat, which they exchanged at the mouth of th^
Ohio for a steam-boat about to descend the Mississippi.
Jtfr. Peale, who had escaped the prevailing sickne^^
accompanied them, leaving only Dr. James and
Lieut. Swift with the steam-boat Western il^ngine^
at Cape Girardeau. Lieut. Swift bad received iB-
structions, as soon as the waiter should rise sufficiently,
to proceed with the boat to the Falls of Ohjlo, wheriCf
jt was to remain during the winter.

Early in Novejwber, the frosts had been so severe
at Cape Girardeau, that the leaves were fa^en, and
the country had assumed the aspect of winter. On
the 9th, at four p. m. the shock of an earthquake
w^as fek. The agitation was such as to cause con-
siderable motion in the furniture and other }oos^
articles in the room where we were sitting. Before
we had time to collect our thoughts and run out of
the house, it had ceased entirely j we h^d therefore
no opportunity to form an opiniojti of its direction.
Several others occj^r^ed in the time of our stay at
^e Cape, but they all happened at nigbt, and were
^11 of short duration. <* Shakes/* as these concus-
i^ions are called by the inhabitants, are in this part of
the country extremely frequent, and are spoken gf as
matters of every ^^y occurrence. [18] Several
houses in and about Cape Girardeau have formerly
been shaken down, forests have bpen overthrown *>
and other considerable changes produced by th^ir

* The forest adjoining the settlement of Little Prairie, below New
Madrid, presents a singular scene of confusion ; the trees standing
inclined in every direction, and many having their trunks and
branches luroken.

185

i^gexiCy^ Their effect upon the constantly varying
cnannds and bars in the bed of the Mississippi
must doubtless be very important.

Xhese concussions are felt through a great extent
of pountry, from the settlements on Red river and
the Washita to the falls of Ohio, and from the mouth
of the Missouri to New Orleans. Their great extent,
and the very considerable degree of violence with
which they affect not only a large portion of the valley
jof the Mississippi, but of the adjacent hilly and
jpountainous country, appear to us most clearly to
indioiate that they are produced by causes far more
^£9cient j^id deep-seated than " the decomposition of
be^ of lignite or wood-coal situated near the level of
the river, and filled with pyrites," according to the
suggestion of JVlr. Nuttall. * It has been repeatedly
asserted, that volcanic appearances exist in the
mountainous country between Cape Girardeau and
the hot springs ,of the Washita, particularly at the
latter pl^f$ ; but our observation has not tended to
CQViGxm titj^ae accounts ; and Hunter wd Dunbar, wha
sn^nt .^pnjixe time at the hot springs, confidently deny
tftc ^;wst^iAce of any such appearances in that quarter.
Jlepprts h^v? been often circulated, principally on
the authority of hunters, of explosions, subterraneous
fires, blowings an4 bellowings of the mountains, and
maaiv other lingular phenomena, said to exist on th^
Little Missouri of Wasktuta, and other parts of the
region of the hot springs j hut it is easy to see that
the combustion of a coal-bed, or some other ai&ir fl£
e^ual insignificance, may have afforded all the fouiul.-
ation on which these report^ ever rested. But
though no traces of ei^isting or of extinct volcanoes
should be found in any j)art of the country afifected
by these earthquakes, it is not therefore necessary
to go in s^rch of .$ome caus^ unlU^e those which ip

* See Mi8si99ippi Navigator, p. 180.

186

other parts of the earth are believed to produce
similar effects.

On the morning following the earthquake above
mentioned, a fall of snow commenced, and continued
during the day ; towards evening it fell mixed with
hail and rain, and covered the ground to the depth
of about six inches.

The rain continued for some days, the mercury
ranging from 40° to 48® and 50**, a temperature and
state of weather as little grateful to an ague-shaken
invalid as any weather can be. The snow which
fell on the JOth remained on the ground until the
15th, when it had nearly disappeared, and a succes-
sion of bright days followed. The air was now filled
with countless flocks of geese, sand-hill cranes, and
other migratory birds on their passage to the south.
The migrations of the ardea canadensis afford one of
the most beautiful instances of animal motion we
can any where meet with. These birds fly at a great
height, and never in a direct line, but wheeling in
circles, they appear to float without effort on the
i!urface of an aerial current, by whose eddies they are
borne about in an endless series of revolutions.
Though larger than a goose, they rise to so great an
elevation as to appear like points, sometimes luminous^
and sometimes opaque, as they happen to intercept
or reflect the rays of the sun ; but never so high but
their shrill and incessant clamours may be heard.
' While at Cape Girardeau we were induced, from
motives of curiosity, to attend at the performance of
some ceremonies by the negroes, over the grave of
one of their friends, who had been buried a month
since. They were assembled round the grave, where
several hymns were sung. An exhortation was pro-
nounced by one, who officiated as minister of the
gospel, who also made a prayer for the welfare of the
soul of the deceased. This ceremony, we are told, is
common among the negroes in many parts of the

187

United States: the dead are iratsod ptiratdj, and
with few marks of attention ; a month afterwards the
friends assemble at the grave, where they indulge
their grief, and signify their sorrow for the deceased,
by the performance of numerous religious rites.

On the 22d of November, having been informed the
Ohio had risen several inches, Lieut. Swifl deter-
mined to leave Cape Girardeau with the steam-boat
on the following day. Dr. James had so far recovered
as to be able to travel on horseback ; and immediately
set forward on the journey to the Falls of Ohio, in-
tending to proceed by the nearest route across the
interior of Illinois.

The immediate valley of the Mississippi, opposite
the little village of Bainbridge, ten miles above
Cape Girardeau, is four miles wide, and exclusive of
the river, which washes the bluffs along the western
side. Upwards, it expands into the broad fertile
and anciently populous valley, called the American
bottom ; on the east, it is bounded by abrupt hills of
a deep argillaceous loam, disclosing no rocks, and
rather infertile, bearing forests of oak, sweet gum,
tupelo, &c. The road crossing the hilly country
between the Mississippi and the village of Golconda
on the Ohio passes several precocious little towns,
which appear, as is often the case in a recently settled
country, to have outgrown their permanent resources.
The lands, however, are not entirely worthless j and
on some of the upper branches of the Cacha, a river
of the Ohio, we passed some fertile bottoms, though
they are not entirely exempt from inundation at the
periodical floods. The compact limestone about
Golconda, near the sources of Grand Pierre creekj
and near Covedown rock, contains beautiful crystals
of Derbyshire spar; sulphuret of lead also occurs
in that vicinity, as we have been informed, in veins
accompanying the fluate of lime.

On arriving at Golconda, Dr. James had become
so much indisposed, by a recurrence of fever and

186

ague, as to be unable to proceed. This circumstance,
With others, induced Lieut. Swift to leave the steam-
boat, for the winter, at the mouth of Cumberland
river. After a delay of a few days, he continued his
journey towards Philadelphia on horseback. *

Having thus traced the progress of the exploring
party to their final separation, we shall add some
discussions concerning the countries west of the Al-
leghany mountains, of a «iore general descripticm
than deemed compatible with the humble iStyle of
a diary, which we thought convenient to be retained
in our narrative.

The following paper, from Major Long, comprises,
moreover, the results of many observations made on
various journies previous to those detailed in the
foregoing account, and in parts of the country
remote rrom those traversed by the expedition.

* Most of the c(j^ections made on tbis-Mppedidon have BitrFed tt
Phibdelphia, and are in good preservation ; they comprise, smong
other things, more than sixty prepared skins of new or rare animak.
Several thousand insects, «even or eight hundred of which are pro-
bably new ; five hundred have already been ascertained to be so, and
have been described. The herbarium contains betw^n four teid
five hundred species of plants new to the Flora of the Uaited States,
and many of them supposed to be undescribed.

Many of the minerals collected by Mr. Jessup were left at Smith-
land, Kentucky. A suit of small specimens, adapted to the fUnstra-
tHfO. of the geology of the coontry from the Alle^aniea to the Ro(^
MounXakis, ha^ been received*

A collection of terrestrial and fiuviatile shells was also made. Of
iJiese more than twenty new species have already been described
and published. The oi^anic reliquise collected on the voyage from
Pittshorgh to St. Louis have not as yet been received in Phuadelphia,
but ar^ daily expected.

The sketches, executed by Mr.Peale, amounted to one hundred
and twenty-two. Of these, twenty-one only were finished; the
residue being merely outlines of quadrupeds, birdb, insects, ftc.

The landscape-views, by Mr. Sieymour, are oae hundmd and fifty
in number ; of these, sixty have been finished.

1S9

A. GENERAL DESeRIPTION OF

THE COUNTRY

TBAYfiRSEJD BY THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION,

BEIXO TH9

Cojn/ (fa lUpofi of Major Long to the Hon. J. C Calhouny

Secretary of War,

Dated Philadelphia, Jan. 20. 1 8 i i.

Sir,

In obedience to your order of the 28th of November,
I have the honour to submit the following report^ em*
bracing a. concise account of the movements of the
e^cplorijw. expedition under my command, and a
general description of the country explored by them.
Although there may be no very strikmg incidents to
embeUisb the narration, yet( the diversity of scenery
presented to^the vitw^ the changes in the character
and aspects of the country, and the . variety of othec
interesting matter in the several departments of
natural science, which have been subjects of particu*
lar attrition, cannot fail to awaken a lively interest:
in the. mindi^ of an enlightened community, inas*
much as a^ discussion of them must lead to a know^^
ledge of the condition and natural resources of a large
portion of the United States* territory. But as the;
principal object contemplated in this report is' a^
general view of the topography of the country, the
subjects^^ of description will be such only as are
thought to be illustrative of such a view.

190

Movements of the Expedition.

The expedition embarked on board of the United
States* steam-boat. Western Engineer, at Pittsburg,
on the 4th of May, 1819. Their outfit consisted of
such books, instruments, stationery, &c. (a return of
which is on file in the engineer department), together
with such provisions, &c. as were deemed requisite at
the commencement of their voyage. They pro-
ceeded down the Ohio river, making such observa-
tions and surveys along its banks as are calculated to
augment the stock of intelligence already acquired
in relation to that part of the country. This part of
their route having been previously traversed by gen-
tlemen of science, who have Judiciously arranged
and generously promulgated the intelligence they
have collected, but little matter of a novel or interest-
ing character could be expected. Yet an investiga-
tion of the numerous organic remains, and mineral
productions, discoverable on the Ohio throughout
its whole extent, together with such an examination
of the country as is requisite to a general description
of its aspect, soil, and vegetable productions, were
considered as objects meriting their attention in the
discharge of their several duties.
. On arriving at the confluence of the Ohio and
Mississippi, they proceeded up the latter to the
Missouri, and thence up the river last mentioned
to the Council Bluffs, improving every opportunity
of extending their researches in the various branches
of natural science. At the time of their arrival at
the Council Bluffs, the season was so far spent, that
x^ was deemed inexpedient to proceed furtlier till the
ensuing season ; and the boat was accordingly dis-
mantled, and moored in a safe harbour, and quarters
constructed for the accommodation of the party,
during the then approaching winter. Being located
in a situation central to a variety of Indian tribes
and nations, inhabiting the neighbouring country,

191

they were enabled to acquire a pretty extensive
acquaintance with the manners, customs, and cha-
racter of the natives in that quarter. Surveys of the
surrounding country were made ; observations for
determining the latitude, longitude, magnetic varia-
tion, dip, 8cc, were taken ; the changes of the weather,
and other meteorologic phenomena were recorded ;
and such other duties performed, as pertained to
the pursuits of the expedition.

On the voyage up the Missouri, a party was de-
tached from the steam-boat at Fort Osage, with
instructions to proceed across the country by land,
to the Konzas village, and thence to the villages of
the Pawnees, on the river Platte, and to return on
board again at the Council Bluffs. This excursion
was undertaken with a view of prosecuting the
business of the expedition. The party had accom-
plished part of the duties assigned them, when they
were met near the Konzas village by a war-party of
the Republican Pawnees, and robbed of their horses,
baggage, &c., which compelled them to give up the
further prosecution of their enterprize. This mis-
fortune rendered it necessary for them to change their
route, and shape their course for the Missouri, which
they reached at Cow Island, having obtained much
useful information concerning the country thr,ough
which they passed^ and the natives inhabiting it.

On my return to the wintering post of the expedi^
tion, to which we had given the name of Engineer
Cantonment, I pursued a course north of the Mis*
souri, from near its mouth to that place, taking
sketches of the country, preparatory to a topographical
delineation. The observance of courses, distances,
magnetic variations, &c. were objects of our parti-
cular care and attention in all the movements of the
ei^dition.

On my arrival at the cantonment, which I reached
on the 37th of May last, preparations were made, with
all convenient despatch, for reconnoitring the coun-

192

try westward to the Rocky Mountains, in conformity
to your order of the 28th of Peliruary, 1820. TTfie
steam-boat was ordered on topographical duties under
the command of Lieut. Graham, who proceeded
with her down the Missouri to St. Louis, tiience
up the Mississippi to the De Moyen rapids, and
thence down the river to Cape Girardieau, taking
such observations and sketches on the voyage as are
requisite in constructing a chart of that part of the
river and the adjacent country.

Having made the necessary arrangements, and
rendered our outfit, for the western tour, as complete
as circumstances would permit, we commenced our
.march on the 6th of June, all in good health, except
Mr. Say, the zoologist for the expedition. It may
not be improper here to give a list, exhibiting the
names of the persons composing the party, and the
several capacities in which they served.

S. H. Long, Major L Engineers, commanding
Expedition. *

J« R. Bel], CapL Lieut. Artillery, Journalist. •

W. H. Swift, Lieut. Artillery, Assi&tltfit Topo-
grapher and Commanding Guards

T. Say, Zoologist, &c.

E. James, Botanist, Mineralogist, and Sut^geot)«

T. R. Peale, Assistant Naturalist.

S. Seymour, Landscape-pamter, &c.

Joseph Bijeau, Guide and Interpreter.

Abraam Ledoux, Farrier and Hunter.

Stephen Julien, Interpreter.

H.Dougherty, Hunter.

Zachariah Wilson, Baggage Master.

J. Duncan, J. Oakley, and D. Adams^ Engagees.

John Sweney, Private of the Corps of Artillery.

Joseph Verplank, William Parish, Robert Foster,
Mordecai Nowland, Peter Barnard, and Charles
Myers, Privates of the Rifle Regiment, Pack*
horse-men and Hunters.

193

The number of horses and mules, provided for the
use of the party, was thirty-four, including several
that were the property of individuals ; so that we
were able to have all of the party mounted, and also
a sufficient number of horses besides, for the trans-
portation of baggage. In addition to arms, ammu-
nitioni a small quantity of provisions and other
necessaries for the tour, our outfit embraced a snaall
supply of Indian goods for presents, not exceeding
^150 in value.

The instruments for astronomical and other observ-
ations, comprehended in our outfit, were very limited,
both in number and variety. The mode of transport-
ing them that we were compelled to adopt was by no
means suited to the conveyance of delicate instruments,
or such as required much space in packing.. We, how-
ever, took all ^belonging to the expedition that were
in good repair and of a portable construction. The
principal were the following : one sextant of five
inches radius ; one snuff^ box sextant ; one mercurial
horizon with a glass frame ; one patent lever watch
of an excellent quality ; three travelling compasses j
one measuring tape ; two thermometers ; and some
few articles of apparatus for the use of the naturalists.

Every maa being accoutred with a gun, shot-pouch,
and powder-horn, and most of them with pistols, the
exploring party proceeded westwardly to the Pawnee
villages, situated on a branch of the Platte called[
the Loup Fork, thence southwardly to the Platte, and
thence westwardly along the valley of the Platte, to
the place where it issues from the Rocky Mountains.
Having examined the mountains at that place, and
finding the country too hilly and broken to penetrate
with^ horses within their range, we shaped our course
southwardly along their base, taking occasion to
ascend the peaks and spurs of the mountains when-
ever a favourable opportunity presented, for the pur-
pose of ascertaining their geological character, and
that of the vegetables growing upon them,

VOL. HI. GT

194

On arriving at the Arkansa Captain Bell was
detached with a small party to ascend along the river
us far as it was practicable to travel with horses, and
was able to ascend nearly thirty miles, when his
further progress was intercepted by the proximity of
the hills to the river.

Having descended the Arkansa about one hundred
miles to the point whence it was judged expedient to
strike upon a southwardly course in quest of the source
of the Red river, the party was formed into two de-
tachments ; the one to proceed down the Arkansa,
under the direction of Captain Bell, and the other to
accompany me, with the view of exploring the coun-
try southwardly to Red river, and thence down its
valley to the upper settlements thereon.

Captain Bell's party, with the exception of three
soldiers last mentioned in the foregoing list, who
deserted on the march, arrived in safety at Belle
Point, their place of destination, having performed
the duties assigned them.

On separating from Captain Bell, the detachment
under my direction proceeded southwardly in view
of the mountains about one hundred and nfty miles,
and arrived at a creek, having a southwardly course^
which we took to be tributary to Red river. Having
travelled down its valley about two hundred miles,
we fell in with a party of Indians of the nation of
Kaskaias, or Bad-hearts, who gave us to understand
that the stream along which we were travelling was
Red river. We accordingly continued our march
down the river several hundred miles further ; when,
to our no small disappointment, we discovered that
it was the Canadian of the Arkansa, instead of R^
river, that we had been exploring. Our horses being
nearly worn out with the fatigue of our long journey,
which they had to perform bare-footed, and the season
being too far advanced to admit of retracing our steps
and going again in quest of the source of Red river with
the possibility of exploring it before the commence-

195

ment of winter, it was deemed advisable to give over
the enterprise for the present, and make our way to the
settlements on the Arkansa. We were led to the com-
mission of this mistake in consequence of our not
having been able to procure a guide acquainted with
this part of the country. Our only dependence, in this
respect, was upon Pike's map, which assigns to the
head-waters of the Red river the apparent locality of
those of the Canadian. We continued our march,
therefore, and arrived at Belle Point on the Arkansa
on the 13th September, four days after the arrival of
Captain Bell and his party.

Both parties suffered occasionally for the want of
food and water ; but in general the game of the country
yielded us an ample supply of the former, and the
watercourses, along which we for the most part
travelled, satisfied our demands for the latter. In
regard to health we were all highly favoured, except
Mr. Say, who was more or less indisposed through-
out the tour. Some of the rest were occasionally
affected with slight indisposition.

It is a source of much regret that we had the
misfortune to lose some of our most valuable manu-
scripts by the desertion of three soldiers of Captain
Belrs party before mentioned. They deserted on
the head-waters of the Verdigrise river, within
about two hundred miles of the upper settlements
of the Arkansa, taking with them three horses, the
best belonging to the party, four saddle-bags, con-
taining wearing apparel and other things belonging
to the gentlemen of the party, besides the following
manuscripts: viz. Journal of the Tour, one number j
Manners and Customs of the Indians, one number j
Zoological Description and Remarks, one number;
Vocabularies of Indian Languages, two numbers ; all
by 'Mr. Say; and one number, containing Topographi-
cal Notes and Sketches, by Lieutenant Swift. In ad-
dition to the above, the loss of a few horses that died

o 2

196

on the inarch wa» the only accident or misfortuniei
worthy of notice that befel the expedition.

From Belle Point the exploring party proceeded
across the country in a north-eastwardly direction to
Cape Girardeau, where they arrived on the 10th Oc-
tober, having been occupied a little more than four
months in the performance of tlie tour from the
Council Bluff.

Throughout the whole excursion the attention of
the gentlemen of the expedition was constantly occu-
pied upon the several subjects of investigation which
were deemed essential to a topographical and scien-
tific description of the country. In the discharge of
our duties, however, we laboured under many disad-
vantages for want of a sufficient variety of instruments,
to furnish all the data proper and desirable in giving
an account of the geology and meteorology of the
country. A barometer would have been particularly
useful ; but out of three belonging to the expedition
two were rendered completely unfit for use, partly by
accident and partly by defects in their con$tructio|iy
and the third was in such a condition that it was not
deemed advisable to take it with us, as it was not
likely to remain fit for service but for a short time
only. In ascertaining the humidity of the atmo-
sphere a hygrometer would have been particularly
useful, but it has never been in my power to procure
one that had any claim to being accurate. In taking
the various observations, however, that could be ef.
fected by means of the fe^r instruments we had with
us, no pains were spared, and no opportunities lost ;
those in particular, for the calculation of latitude and
longitude, were taken as often as it was thought ne-
cessary, and with the utmost care and precision tiutt
circumstances would permit.

On our arrival at Cape Girardeau we had
contemplated to embark on board of the Western
Engineer, which was at that port ready for our accom*

197

modation, and sail for Louisville ; but, learning that
the water of the Ohio was at that time too low to
admit even the passage of a boat drawing no more
than fifteen or sixteen inches of water, we were com-
pelled to seek another mode of conveyance. Those
of the expedition who had been on duty during the
two last seasons, being very anxious to visit their
homes, arrangements were accordingly made for their
return to Philadelphia, when they would be enabled
to complete and report th.e intelligence they had
collected. Messrs. Say, Peale, Seymour, and Lieut.
Graham, being desirous to return by water, waited
the opportunity of taking a passage to New Orleans,
and thence to Philadelphia. Most of the curiosities
collected by the expedition were placed in the charge
of Mr. Say, to be shipped for this place.

Lieut. Swift was left in command of the steam-boat
and crew, with instructions to proceed with them to
Louisville as soon as the water would permit. He
was instructed to leave the boat in the care of the
pilot employed on board of her, — order her crew of
United States' soldiers to Newport, Kentucky, for
winter quarters and subsistence, and report in person
at Philadelphia, for topographical duty.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY TRAVERSED
BY THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION.

Having given the foregoing brief account of the
movements of the expedition, we next proceed to a
consideration of the region explored by them, which
embraces a very considerable portion of the immense
valley situated between the Alleghany and Rocky
Mountains. The portion of this valley to which their
attention has been more particularly directed, and
relative to which intelligence has been collected, is
situated between thirty-five and forty-two degrees of
north latitude, and eighty and one hundred and six
degrees of west longitude, embracing an extent of

o3

198

3-bout five hundred miles in width from north to south,
and thirteen hundred miles in length from east to
west. As might be expected in a region of this
extent, a great diversity of surface is presented to
view, exhibiting all the varieties, from the most level
and unbroken to the most rugged and mountainous
aspect. The most broken parts of this region are
those situated along the Ohio, from its source to its
ponfluence with the Mississippi, and on the west of
the Mississippi, between Red river and the Arkansa,
tmd between the latter and the Missouri, extending
westward about four hundred miles from the Mis-
sissippi. The whole region, in a geological point of
view, is constituted of three varieties of formations,
which characterize the surface throughout; viz.
transition, secondary, and alluvial. A tract, however,
of considerable extent, including the hot springs of
the Washita, and extending northwardly to tJielead
mines back of St. Genevieve, has, by some, been con-
sidered as possessing a primitive character ; but it is
l)elieved that the rocks discoverable therein are uot
sufficiently uniform to warrant such a deci^on.
Moreover, an insulated tract pf primitiye country,
surrounded by others exhibiting the most unequivo-
cal marks of their being secondary, and at the s^me
time presenting a similar conformation in their gene-
ral aspect, is such an anomaly in natural, science as
requires more than ordinary proof to be admitted.
The particular tract under consideration is probably
analogous to other tracts within the region above
specified, exhibiting a surface characterized by pri-
mitive formation superincumbent upon others of a
secondary character.

In order to give a more distinct conception of the
country or region under consideration, it may be
regarded as divisible into the following sections : viz.
ist, the country situated between the Ohio river
and the Alleghany mountains ; 2d, the country si-
tuated betY^een the Ohio, Mississippi, and the L^^es ;

199

Sd^ the country situated between the Mississippi and
Missouri rivers ; 4th, the country situated between
the Red and Missouri rivers, west of the Mississippi
and east of the meridian of the Council Bluff'; and
5th, the country between the proposed meridian and
the Rocky Mountains.

Of the country situated between the Ohio river and

the Alleghany mountains.

The country on the south jside of the Ohio, includ-
ii^ the northerly parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia,
and Tennessee, together with the whole of Kentucky,
abounds in hills elevated, in the vicinity of the Ohio,
from four to eight hundred or a thousand feet above
tibe water-table of the river, and rising many hundred!
fieet higher in the neighbourhood ot the Alleghany
mountains. This section is watered by many streams of
considerable magnitude tributary to the Ohio, the most
important of which are the Monongahela, Kenhawa,
Gb'eat Sandy, Licking, Kentucky, Salt, Green, Cum-
berland, and Tennessee. These rivers are all navi-
gable for keel-boats, and many of them for steam-
Doats, some hundreds of miles, during the boating
season, which generally commences about the 20th
February and terminates early in June. Occasional
freshets contribute to render them navigable during
short portions of the other months of the year ; but
no reliance can be placed in periodical returns of
freshets, excepting those of the spring season. Upon
these rivers are extensive and valuable tracts of bottom
land covered with deep and heavy forests, and pos-
sessed of a soil adapted to the cultivation of all the
variety of vegetable products common to the various
elimates in which they are situated. The highlands,
back of the bottoms, although variegated with hills
and vallies alternating with each other in quick
succession, are generally possessed of a surface sus-
ceptible of being tilled, and in many instances of a
soil equally rich and prolific with that of the bottoms.

o 4

200

In many parts of the country, ho>vever, the hills are
abrupt and stony to such a degree as renders them
unfit for tillage. The average produce per aqre,
upon the farming lands of this section, maiy be esti-
mated at the following rates : viz. Indian corn or
maize, forty bushels ; wheat, twenty-two; rye, twenty-
^ix J oat5, thirty-five ; barley, thirty j tobacco, from
twelve to fifteen cwt, and cotton from fiye to seven cwt^
in regard to the products last mentioned, viz. cotton
and tobacco, it should be observed, that they are
cultivated only in the south-westerly parts of this sec-
tion, and that oats and barley are seldom cultivated
except in the upper or north-easterly parts.

Of the population of this section, if we except the
towns and villages and their immediate vicinities, as
also a large portion of country surrounding Lexington,
Kentucky, and another of considerable extent, in-,
pluding Nashville, Tennessee, it is yet but thinly
inhabited, affording room for a population far more
numerous and more widely diffused. There are ex-
tensive tracts of country between the Alleghany
mountains and the Ohio as yet almost entirely destii
tute of inhabitants, the most considerable of which
are situated in the vicinity of the mountains, also the
country generally between Tennessee river and the
Mississippi. As this section of country is pretty
generally well known, the foregoing outline of its
topography will suffice.

Of the country situated between the OhrOy Mississippi^

and the Lakes.

The section of country next in the order proposed^
is situated north of the Ohio river, and comprehends
the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. This
section may be subdivided into three orders or varie^
ties of country, which merit a separate consideration^
viz. the hilly, the plain or rolling, and the valley
country.

201

The hilly country, like that south of the Ohio,
exhibits a very uneven surface, variegated with hills
and dales irregularly distributed, and occupying about
one third part of the section under consideration.
This portion of the country is of an oblong shape,
bounded on the south-east by the Ohio river, and on
the north-west by an imaginary line, commencing on
the Mississippi near the grand tower, and running in a
direction nearly E. N. E., till it approaches the easterly
part of Lake Erie. On the east it mingles with the
hilly countiy, comprehending the back parts of
Pennsylvania and New York. In short, the whole
region situated between the Alleghany mountains
and the imaginary line above specified, or in other
words, the country through which the Ohio and its
tributaries, except the Wabash, have their courses,
may be arranged under this head. The hills through-
out the whole are very similar in respect to their
altitudes, multiplicity and conformation.

Although the hilly country north of the Ohio is in
many places rugged and broken, yet a large proportion
of it is susceptible of cultivation. No high mountains
are to be seen ; the hills usually rise from six to
eight hundred feet above the common level, or about
one thousaiid feet above the water-tables of the prin-
cipal rivers, and invariably present rounded summits.
Interspersed among the hills are numerous fine
tracts of arable land, which may in general be al-
leged of the valleys of the numerous rivers and creeks
by which the country is watered. The soil upon the
hills is generally productive, except where the sur-
face is rocky and the declivities abrupt, which is
more particularly the case in the vicinity of rivers^
where the high lands are divided into numerous knobs^
being cut by deep ravines with abrupt and precipi-
tous banks.

The hilly country, having been generally esteemed
more healthy than either of the other varieties above—
mentioned, has acquired a more numerous population

20a

than the latter; As yet, however, no part of this
section has its full complement of inhabitants, if we
except, as before, the numerous towns and villages
and their immediate neighbourhoods. In regard to
the products of agriculture, the same remarks that have
been made concerning the section south of the Ohio
are equally applicable to the country imder considera-
tion, with the exception that cotton is cultivated only
in the south-westerly extreme of this section, and
tobacco is raised for domestic uses only.
• The most considerable rivers intersecting this
section of country are the Muskingum, Sciota, Big
Miami, and Wabash, all of which, in the spring season,
are navigable two or three hundred miles from their
mouths.

The valleys of these rivers give place to m^uiy
extensive and fertile bottoms well adapted to cultiva*
tion, and producing the necessaries of life in great
abundance and variety.

The plain, or rolling country, is separated from
that last under consideration by the imaginary line
labove mentioned. It is not to be inferred, however,
that the junction of these two regions is dis|tj[nct|y
marked by any characters whatever by which the
line can be traced with precision, but that a gradual
change of aspect is observable in travelling from one
variety of country to the other, and that the general
direction of the line indicated by this change is that
specified above. The other boundaries of this variety
^axe the Mississippi on the west, and the Lakes Erie
.and Michigan, and the Fox and Wisconsan river?
on the north and east. This variety of cppntry,
although not entirely destitute of hills, is almost
throughout its whole extent possessed of an undulate
ing or rolling surface, rising into broad and gently
swells in some parts, and subsiding into extensive
flats or plains in others. The valleys of numberless
watercourses, bounded by abrupt bluffs or banks^
affi>r4 some diversity to its aspect } and the blufllk vx

203

particular of the principal streams, being cut by nume-
rous ravines, contribute in many places to give the sur-
face a hilly and broken appearance. Although no
part of this region can with propriety be denominated
hilly, especially when compared with the portions of
country above considered, yet upon the Wisconsan,
Fox, the headwaters of Rock and Melwakee rivers,
the country is considerably diversified with hills, or
rather swells, and valleys. The only hills worthy of
particular notice, not only in this variety, but in the
whole section under consideration, are the Ocooch
and Smokey mountains, which are broad and elevated
ridges rather than mountains. The former is situated
about twelve miles north of the Wisconsan, one hun-
dred miles above its mouth, and the latter about
forty miles south of the portage between the river
just mentioned and Fox river of Green Bay. The
rivers of most note within this region are, the Wa-
bash, above the hilly country before described, the
Kaskaskias, Illinois, Rock and Wisconsan, tributary
to the Mississippi ; the Fox of Green Bay, the St.
Joseph of Lake Michigan, and the Maumee and
Sandusky, tributary to Lake Erie. These rivers are
all navigable for boats of ten or fifteen tons burden
when swollen by spring freshets ; but, during the
greater part of the summer and fall, they have not
a sufficient depth of water for boats of burden, and.
in winter their navigation is entirely obstructed by
ice. The spring freshets, consequent to the melting,
of the snow and ice, usually take place in the month
of March, the southerly streams being open for
navigation much earlier than those in the north.

The prairies, or champaigns, east of* the Mississippi^
are mostly situated in this particular region, occu-
pying at least three fourths of it. These are waving
or flat tracts of country, of greater or less extent,
separated from each other by narrow skirts oi' wood-
land situated upon the margins of rivers and creeks.
7hey are generally possessed of a riph soil, yielding

204

a spontaneous growth of grass and herbage of a luxu-
riant appearance. They are well adapted to the
cultivation of corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, &c. of
which they yield plentiful crops.

The prevailing opinion in regard to this portion of
the country, viz. that it is unhealthy, appears too well
founded to admit of refutation. The causes that
contribute to render it so are very obvious : a
large proportion of the prairies are so flat that
much of tne water deposited upon them by showers
remains stagnant upon the surface till it is carried
oft' gradually by evaporation, which renders tlie
atmosphere humid and unhealthy. The vegetable
mould of which the immediate surface is composed,
and the abundance of vegetables that spring and
decay upon the ground, contribute largely to render
these exhalations more deleterious. Although there
are but few swamps or marshes, and very rarely
pools of stagnant water, to be met with in this region,
still the general water-table of the country is so little
inclined, that the streams, having but a moderate
descent, are uniformly sluggish, often exhibiting the
appearance of a succession of stagnant pools. The
consequence is, that the vegetable matter they con-
tain, instead of being carried away by the strength
of the current, is deposited upon the bottoms and
sides of the channels, and, while in its putrescent
state, serves to augment the quantity of noxious
effluvia with which the atmosphere is charged.

The population of this region, compared with itsex-
tent, is very limited ; and with the exception of a few
villages the settlements are very scattering. Large
portions of it, embracing the northerly parts of In-
diana and Illinois, are almost entirely destitute of
inhabitants. Many parts of the country must re-
main uninhabited for many years to come, on account
' of the scarcity of timber and other deficiencies, such
as the want of mill-seats, springs of water, &c. which
are serious blemishes in the character of a large

g05

Jifoportion of the country. There are, however,
numerous and extensive tracts within this region
possessed of a rich soil, and in other respects well
adapted for settlements, and presenting the strongest
inducements for emigrants to occupy them.

The country of the third order, agreeably to the
subdivision above given, viz. the valley country, is
situated upon the rivers, and is included within the
hilly and plain country above described* The tracts
belonging to this order, usually denominated bot-
toms, are altogether alluvial, being composed of
alternate layers of sand and soil deposited from the
water of the rivers upon which they are respectively
Situated. The alluvion thus deposited, having once
constituted a part of the surface of the countries
drained by the watercourses tributary to the rivers
along which the deposit has been made, it will
readily be inferred that the fecundity of the valleys
will in some measure correspond with that of the
countries whence their alluvion was derived. Ac*
cordingly we find the bottoms more or less produc*
tive in proportion to the fertility of the regions in
which the rivers take their rise and through which
they flow. In the valley of the Ohio the quality
of the soil appears to improve from its source down*
wards. The alluvion, of which it is composed is sup-
plied by the Alleghany and Monongahela rivers,
which have their origin and courses in a hilly and
mountainous country, possessed in general of a sandy
surface. . The alluvion, supplied by other tributaries
entering the Ohio at various points between its
source and its mouth, is of a better quality, being
composed principally of argillaceous and calcareous
earth, which are prevailing ingredients in the soil of
^e country drained by those tributaries.

It should be remarked, however, in relation to all
the varieties of alluvia, that they are partially com-
posed of the fine particles of decayed vegetabte

20G

matter with which the water drained fi'om the sur-
face of the ground is invariably charged. This pro-
perty in alluvial deposits often prevails to such a
degree as to render soils, apparently sandy and
steril, remarkably productive. The alluvial bottoms
throughout the United States afford innumerable ex-
amples of this fact. The fertiHzing matter often
exhibits itself in the slimy deposits left upon the
surface of the ground after an inundation.

The most extensive tract of valley country east
of the Mississippi is that situated within the bluffs
of this river, usually denominated the American
Bottom, extending from the mouth of the Ocoa, or
Kaskaskias river, northwardly to that of the Missouri.
This spacious bottom, although at present elevated
much above the range of the highest freshets, is
nevertheless alluvial. Its length along the Missis-
sippi is about eighty, and its average breadth about
four miles. It is generally destitute of a timber
growth, except along the margin of the river, upon
which there is a skirt of woodland extending almost
from one end of the tract to the other. The allu-
vion of the American Bottom is composed' of the
rich mud brought down by the turbid Missouri,
united with an abundance of vegetable matter
yielded by the waters of the upper Mississippi, which
also characterizes the bottoms of this extensive rivef
from the Missouri downward to its mouth. Upon
this bottom are situated the town of Kaskaskias, the
villages of Prairie de Rocher, Harrison, Prairie de
Pont, Cahokia and Illinois, together with many other
settlements.

On the same side of the river another large tract
of valley land, called the Mississippi Bottom, com-
mences a few miles below the mouth of the riv^r
Kaskaskias, and extends downwards along the Missis-
sippi, between fifty and sixty miles, having ah aver*
age width of about three miles. This tract, in regard

207

to soil and aspect, is of a character similar to that of
the American Bottom, except that the former is
more plentifully stocked with timber.

Besides these, there are numerous other bottoms
on the Mississippi, within the Hmits prescribed for
this report, all of which are composed of a rich allu-
vion. Those in particular situated below the con-
fluence of the Mississippi and Missouri are pos-
sessed of a soil exceedingly luxuriant, being com-
posed, as before observed, of the rich and fertilizing
mud deposited from the water of the Missouri,
Most oi them are covered with deep and heavy
forests of timber, accompanied with a luxuriant under-
growth of vines, shrubs, grass and other herbage.

The bottoms of the Wabash, Kaskaskias, Illinois,
and Rock rivers, are also made up of a rich alluvion
of sand and loam, containing a large proportion of
v^etable mould. Their surfaces, like those of the
Mississippi bottoms, are generally flat, exhibiting
tabular elevationis or benches, formed by the wash*
ing of their rivers at different periods. Large tracts
or prairie land are to be met with upon them ; but
for the most part the proportion of woodland is
amply sufficient to supply the adjacent country with •
timber and fuel.

The valleys of these rivers differ from that of the
Ohio, not only in having a greater width, but also
in being limited on both sides by bluffs stretching
along their whole length, and maintaining nearly a
parallel direction ; whereas the valley of the Ohio is
bounded by abrupt hills irregularly disposed, in
some instances protruding far into the valley like
promontories, and in others retiring from the river,
and affording room for bottoms of pretty large ex-
tent. The Ohio bottoms are uniformly clad in
deep forests, except where they have been removed
by settlers J no prairies worthy of notice making
meir appearance.

208

The valley country, from the circumstances already
detailed in allusion to the country constituting the
second variety, is almost without exception unhealthy.
But at the same time it appears evident, that this
evil gradually decreases in proportion to the increase
of population, and the consequent advancement of
sericulture ; for the products of the soil, which the
bottoms yield in the greatest profusion, instead of
being left to wither and decay upon the surface,
are necessarily consumed in the subsistence of man
and beast; in consequence of which, one of the most
fruitful causes of pestilential effluvia, viz. vegetable
putrefaction, is in a very considerable degree re-
moved.

The prevailing timber growth of the region com-
prehending the two sections of country already de-
scribed, is exhibited in the following list of trees :
viz. cotton-wood, willow, sycamore, black walnut,
pecan, cofFee-tree, sweet and sour or black gum,
red and water elrt, hackberrry, blue and white ash,
linden, yellow and white poplar, catalpa, black and
honey locust, buck-eye, bur oak, white and black
oak, mulberry, box, elder, white dogwood, sugar-tree,
white maple, wild cherry, red oak, hickory, iron-
wood, and hop hornbeam. The foregoing constitute
the principal timber growth of the valley country,
and are to be met with more or less frequently
throughout the whole of it. Red beech is abundant
in some parts of the valley of the Ohio, and in those
of many of its tributaries ; it abounds also in the
northerly parts of the States of Ohio and Indiana.
Post oak, black jack, and several other varieties of
the oak, also chesnut, white and shell bark, hickory,
persimmon, &c, are sometimes found in the bottoms,
but are more prevalent upon the hills and highlands.
Pitch pine abounds in many parts of Ohio and In-
4iana, and generally in the neighbourhood of the
Alleghany mountains. White pipe oGc^^sionaliy

209

makes its appearance in the northerly parts of Ohio,
Red cedar is found in a great variety of placed
throughout the country, but no where in great
abundance.

The under-growth of the several tracts of country
above considered includes a great variety of shrubs,
vines, brambles, grass and other herbage, to be enu«-
merated |in a botanical catalogue daily expected
from Dr. James.

The most valuable timber trees are the white, post,
and bur oaks, the white and blue ash, the shell bark
hickory, the black walnut, the cherry, the locust,
chesnut^ poplar, mulberry, beach, cotton-wood and
linden. The two last mentioned are seldom used
where other kinds of timber are to be had. The
cotton-wood is not only the most abundant timber-
growth upon the bottoms, but is more widely diffused
than any other, and in many places is the only
variety of forest trees that make their appearance ;
which, however, is more particularly the case west*
ward of the Mississippi.

Of the country situated between the Mississippi and

Missouri rix)ers.

We next proceed to a consideration of the country
west of the Mississippi, and shall begin with that
situated between this river and the Missouri. This
section contains no mountains, or indeed hills, of any
considerable magnitude. The term rolling appears
to be peculiarly applicable in conveying an idea of
the surface of this region, although it is not entirely
destitute of abrupt hills and precipices. The aspect
of the whole is variegated with the broad valleys
of rivers and creeks, and intervening tracts of undu-
lating upland, united to the valleys by gentle slopes.
Its surface is chequered with stripes of woodland
situated upon the margins of the watercourses, and
drviding the whole into extensive parterres. If we

VOL. III. P

210

except those parts of the section that are contiguous
to the Mississippi and Missouri, at least nineteen-twen-
tieths of the country are completely destitute of a
timber-growth.

Within the valleys of these two rivers are exten-
sive tracts of alluvial bottom possessed of a rich soil.
The bottoms of the Missouri in particular are pro-
bably inferior to none within the limits of the United
States in point of fertility. Those of the Mississippi
are very rich, but do not exhibit symptoms of so great
fecundity as the former. The bottoms of both, on
ascending the rivers, become more sandy, and appa-
rently less productive.

The bottoms of the Missouri are for the most part
clad in a deep and heavy growth of timber and under-
brush, to the distance of about three hundred and
fifty miles above its mouth. There are, however,
prairies of considerable extent occasionally to be met
with on this part of the river. Higher up, the prairies
within the river valley become more numerous and
extensive, till at length no woodlands appear, except
tracts of small size, situated at the points formed by
the meanders of the river.

The bottoms on the Upper Mississippi (that part of
the Mississippi situated above its confluence with the
Missouri being distinguished by this appellation) con-
tain less woomand, in proportion to their extent, than
those of the Missouri. The prairies upon this river
also become more numerous and extensive as we pro-
ceed upward.

The interior of the country, situated between the
valleys of these rivers, presents, as before remarked, a
rolling aspect, inclining to hilly, and broken in some
parts, but generally variegated with gentle swells and
broad valleys. Within this section are numerous small
rivers and creeks, with valleys of a character similar to
those of the Mississippi or Missouri, but not so fertile.
These valleys expand to a great width, compared with
the magnitude of the streams upoii which they are situ-

gn

ated, but are not bounded by abrupt bluflfs, like lihose
of the two rivers just mentioned. They are generally
covered with a luxuriant growth of grass and other
herbage, and occasionallv'present copsea of woodland
of moderate extent. The timber-growth of the bot-
toms is similar to that of the Mississippi bottoms ;
cotton-wood, blue and white ash, hackberry, black
walnut,' cheriy, mulberry, hickory, and several varie-
ties of the oak, being the prevailing timber trees.
The hiUs or high lands are in some instances covered
with a scrubby growth of timber and furze, consisting
of post oak, black jack, hazel, green brier, &c.
. The soil of this section is probably equal, if not
superior, to that of any other tract of upland of equal
extent within our territory. But the scarcity of
tipiber, mill-seats, and springs of water, — defects
that are almost uniformly prevalent, — must for a long
tipae prove seriQus impediments in the way of settling
the country.

The population of this section of country is located
almost exclusively within the valleys of the Missis-
sippi and Missouri, and in their immediate neighbour^
hood, extending upwards along the former about one
hundred and sixty, and along the latter about three
hundred and twenty miles above their confluence.
The most populous parts of the country are the county
of St. Charles, situated near the junction of thes^
two rivers j Cote Sans Dessein and its vicinity j that
part usually denominated the Boon's Lick country,
extending from the mouth of Osage river upward
along the Miami to the river Charaton ; and the coun-
try on the Mississippi, including the Salt river settle-
ments, which have become numerous and pretty widely

difiused..

'Along the valleys, both of the Mississippi and
Miflsouti, there are still innumerable vacancies for
settlement, holding forth inducements for emig<rante
to ikccupy them, equally as strong as any of the poa^
tions already occupied. The inhabitants of this

p 2

21 S

seetion have frequently been visited by the prevailing
epidemics of the western country, which may be
attributed, in all probability, to the same causes that
have been herein assigned m relation to the country
east of the Mississippi, which operate with equal
force and effect upon the inhabitants of this section.

Of the country situated between the Missouri and Bed
rivers^ west of the Mississippi and east qf the
meridian qf the Council Bluff.

Although no precise limits can be assigned as the
western boundary of this section, yet the meridian
above proposed may be regarded as a line of division
between two regions differing in their general charac-
ter and aspect It is not pretended that the imme-
diate course of the line is marked by any distinct
features of the country, but that a gradual change is
observable in the general aspect of the two regions,
which takes place in the vicinity of the proposed line.
The assumed meridian is in longitude ninety-six
degrees west nearly, and crosses the Platte a few
miles above its mouth, the Konzas near the junction
of the principal forks, the Arkansa about one hun-
dred miles sJ)Ove the Verdigrise, or seven hundred
miles from its mouth, the Canadian about one hun-
dred and fifty miles from its mouth, and the Red
river about one hundred and fifty miles above the
Kiamesha river.

The section of country under consideration exhi-
bits a great variet^'of aspect, the surface being diver-
sified by mountains, fauls, valleys, and occasional
tracts of rolling country; within the section, is an
extensive tract of bottom land deserving of a parti-
cular consideration. It is situated oil the Mississippi,
commencing a few miles below the Ohio, and extend-
ing downward to Red river, iminterrupted by hills
or hish lands, and subject in man}r places to inunda-
tion from the freshets of the Mississippi. The bot-
toms contain many large swamps, rendered almost

SIS

impenetrable by a dense j^rowth of cypress and cy-
press-knees (thelatter of which are conical excrescences
springing from the roots of the cypress, and shooting
.up in provision to the height of from one to eight qr
ten feet). The most extensive of these s^^amps <;om-
mences near the head of the bottom, and passes
soutb-westwardly back of New Madrid, the Xittle
Prairie, St.Francisville, ScCj and terminates near the
village of the Port of Arkansa. The Great Swamp,
the name by which this extensive morass is designated,
is about two hundred miles in length, and is of a
variable width, from five to twenty or thirty miles.
The timber-growth of this and of the other swamps,
which are of a similar character, but inferior in mag-
nitude, consist principally of cypress of a superior
quality. But the difficulty of removing it renders it
of little value to the country^ Within the bottom are
also numerous lakes, lagoons, and marshes, once, no
doubt, parts of the bed of the Mississippi, or of some
of its tributaries that have their courses^ through the
bottom. Notwithstanding the general depression of
this bottom, it contains many insulated tracts of con-
idderable extent, elevated above the range of the
highest floods. The bottom, almost throughout its
whole extent, supports a dense and heavy growth of
timber, of an excellent quality, together wiUi a luxu-
riant under-gFOwth of cane brake, vines, &c.

It may not be improper to remark ki this place,
that great havoc is annually made amongst the tim-
ber of this tract, hy lumber and fuel mongers, who
iTumish the New Orleans market with large supplies
of these articles, particularly of the former.

The bottom is bounded on the west by a chain of
jbeights, corresponding to the river blufi^ on other

rs of the Mississippi, but not arranged in so re^-
a manner. These are the commencement of a
TOurt of the hilly country hereafter to be considered.
jilie most considerable rivers that flow through the
hottom&p and pour their tribute into the Mississippi,

p 3

sure the St. Francis, the Big Black and White rivers,
which are confluent, the Washita and Red river.

There are also a few other bottoms on the west side
of the Mississippi of moderate size. The largest of
these are Tjwapata and Bois Broule, situated a little
above the mouth of the Cttiio.

The hilly and mountainous country commences
immediately west of the Mississippi bottoms, and ex-
tends westwardly about four hundred miles. Al-
though the terms Mtty and mountainotis are expres-
sive of the general character of the country, yet the
following portions of this section may be enumerated
as exceptions, viz. a tract of country comprehending
St. Louisy BeUe Fontain, Florissant, and extending
south-westwardly so as to include the lead mine tract.
Belle View, &c. This tract (which embraces the
most populous part of the Missouri territory) may
be denominated rolling, or moderately hilly. Con«
siderable portions of the country situated between the
Arkansa and Red rivers, particularly in the vicinity
of the latter, are also of this character. On the Ar-
kansa, above Belle Point, is an extensive tract of a
similar description ; as also many tracts of inferior
size, on the north side of the Arkansa, between the
villages of the Port and the Cadron settlements. (^
the south side of the Missouri is also an extensive
tract of rolling country, commencing at the river Le
Mine, six miles above Franklin, and extending upward
ialong the Missouri, with occasional interruptions, to
the Council Bluff. Such is the extent of this tract,
that it comprises almost the whole of the country
situated between the assumed meridian line and the
Missouri, from Fort Osage upward. On the head
waters of the Osage river, and on those of its princi-
pal tributaries, the country is said, to be of a similar
character also. To these may be added laige por-
tions of country situated on the Verdigrise river^
upon the Arkansa, above Grand river, and upon the^

. I

• >!;'

^215

Canadian, from its mouth upwards to the distance of
about two hundred miles. The tracts here designated,
exhibit broad and elevated swells of land, separated
from each other by deep and spacious valleys.

These portions of country are chequered with
woodlands and prairies, in many instances alternating
with each other in due proportion, for the accom-
modation of settlers with farming and woodlands.
On the Missouri above Fort Osage, and on the Osage
river, however, the proportion of woodland is very
inconsiderable, and the timber it affords of a scrubby
character. The prairies here, as on the north of the
Missouri, occupy at least nineteen-twentieths of the
whole surface. Some portions of the Red river
country are also deficient in the quantum of wood*
lands allotted to them ; but in general it may be
observed, that the more southerly regions are better
supplied with timber than those farther north. The
growth of the woodlands interspersed amongst the
prairies is mostly post oak, hickory, black jack, and
white oak upon the high lands ; and cotton- wood,
sycamore, black and white walnut, maple, bur oak,
and several other trees common to the western hot-
toms, in the valleys. The bow wood, or, as it is
sometimes called, the Osage orange, is found, upon the
southerly tributaries of the Arkansa, and upon the
Red river and its tributaries. This tree is deserving
of particular notice, inasmuch as it affords a timber
extremely compact and elastic ; its trunk and roots
may prove very useful in dying yellow, and its fruit
of importance in medicine. .

The residue of this section, with the exception of
the river; bottoms, and tracts of valley land scattered
in various directions throughout the whole, is ex-
^remely hilly, broken, and mountainous, the hills and
mountains rising from five to fifteen hundred feet
aibove the water-table of the country in which they
aire, situated. They are exceedingly numerous, aad
are A^vided into a multiplicity of knobs and peaksj^

p 4f

216

having rounded summits, and presenting perpendicu-
lar clit& and abrupt precipices of sandstone. Their
surfaces generally are covered with rocks of this
description, or flinty fragments strewed in profusion
upon them. The growth upon them is, almost ex-
clusively, pitch pine, cedar, scrubby oaks, hickory,
haw and bramble ; the poverty of the soil in some
instances, and the scarcity of it in others, excluding
the more luxuriant vegetable productions common
to the more level country in their vicinity.

The range of mountains situated between the
Arkansa and Red rivers gives rise to the following
streams, all of which are sufficiently copious for mill-
seats, and abound in cascades and falls, well adapted
to such purposes; viz. the Blue Water, Kiamesha and
Little rivers ; the Mountain, Rolling, Cossetot and
Saline forks of Little river, all of which are tributary
to Red river ; the Little Missouri, Cadeau, )(Tashita,
and the Saline, all confluent ; the Mamelle, Le Fevre,
Petit Jean and Poteau, tributaiy to the Arkansa;
besides numerous creeks of less note.

The hills and mountains between the Arkansa and
Missouri are equally prolific in watercourses* The
most considerable of these are the Verdigrise, Neosho
or Grand river, Illinois ; together with the Frogs,
Mulberry, White Oak, Spadra, Pine, Illinois, Point
Remove and Cadron creeks, tributary to the Arkansa;
the Little Red and White rivers, confluent streams ;
the Strawberry, Spring, Eleven Point, Currant, Little
and Big Blacky all confluent, and tributary to White
river, which enters the Mississippi about thirtv miles
above' the mouth of the Arkansa. The St. Francis
and the Merameg have their sources in this broken
region^also, and discharge themselves into the Mifr-
sissippi. Of the valleys of the rivers last enumernted,
viz. those north of the Arkansa and tributary to the
Mississippi, it is observable that they are unifcMmly
possessed of a rich soil, but owing to the excessive
^oods occasionally brought down through them from

217

the hills and mountains, their cultivation is very
precarious. The valley of White river, and those of
some few others, are in many places elevated above
the reach of the highest freshets, and are not alto-
gether subject to this inconvenience. But for the
most part they are liable to being swept by over-
whelming freshets, which prostrate fences, buildings,
and every artificial structure that opposes their march.
Even a fall freshet has been known to inundate
plantations situated within the valleys, to the depth
of eight or ten feet. These floods are generally very
sudden, as well as excessive, to such a degree, that
on some occasions the water has risen, in the course
of one night, more than twenty feet. By these
sudden rises of the water, the planter that in the
evening thought his family and possessions secure
from harm, has been compelled the next morning
to embark with his family in a canoe, to save
themselves from impending destruction, while his
habitation^ fields, cattle, and all his effects, are
abandoned to the fury of the torrent.

The streams rising in the same hilly country, and
tributary to the Missouri, are the following, viz. the
Bon Homme creek, the Gasconade, the Osage and
its tributaries, the Le Mine, the Blue Water, and se-
veral streams tributary to the Konzas river. Upon
some of these, as the Bon Homme, Gasconade, and
some few creeks besides, mills have been constructedf
at which much of the timber of the StLouis market
is sawed.

This section, as yet, is but very partially populated,
although the inhabitants in some portions of it are
considerably numerous. The most populous part of
the section is the country situated immediately below
the mouth of the Missouri, including the town of St.
Louis and the villages of Florissant and Carondelet,
Herculaneum, St Genevieve, Bainbridge, Cape Gi-
rardeau, Jackson, St.Michael's, and the country in
their vicinity ; the lead mine tract, including Mi-

Si8

ma Berton, Potosi, and Belle View, are considerably
populous. The settlements in these places, however,
if we except the scites occupied by the towns and vil-
lages just enumerated, are still very scattering, and
but a small proportion of the land susceptible of agri-
culture is yet under cultivation. Besides these, there
are numerous other settlements and several small vil-
lages within this part of the Missouri territory, distii-
buted in various directions, and constituting but a
very scanty population. They are scattered along
the Missouri from its mouth to Fort Osage, a distance
of more than three hundred miles, on the Gasconade,
Merameg, St. Francis, Big Black, and several of its
tributaries.

Within the Arkansa territory, there are but few
villages, and the settlements are as yet very scattering*
The principal villages are the Port of Arkansa, situ-
ated about sixty miles above the mouth of the river ;
Davidsonville, on Big Black river ; a small village at
the commencement of the high lands on the Arkansa,
at a place called the Little Rock, about two hundred
miles from the mouth of the river, selected as the
seat of government for the territory. Besides these,
there are a few other inconsiderable villages on the
Arkansa river, as also several of small size, situated
in the country between the river just mentioned and
the Red river, the most'considerable of which are at
Pecan Point, Mount Prairie, Prairie de Inde, &c.
These villages contain but very few houses, arid those
generally or a rude structure, a circumstance attribu-
table only to the infancy of the territory. The set-
tlements of the territory are scattered along the
Arkansa, from the White river cut off (a channel
uniting these two rivers at the distance of lirii^
miles above the mouth of the former, and three miles
above that of the latter) to Belle Point, a distance of
about four hundred miles. On Little Red, White^
and Strawbetry rivers, are many scattering settle-
ments, as also on the Washita, Gadeau, Little Mi»<

^219

9ouri, aud the several forks of Little river. The set-
tlements upon Red river extend upward to the
Kiamesha, a distance of about nine hundred miles
ffom its mouth, following the meanders of the river.

The settlements of the section under consideration
are most numerous in those parts represented, in the
foregoing description, as being variegated with prai-
ries and woodlands alternating with each other. In
the valley of the Arkansa, however, which is gene-
rally clad in rich forests and luxuriant cane brakes,
prairies are seldom to be met witli, and settlers have
had recourse to clearing the land necessary for their
plantations.

In addition to the white settlements above pointed
out, there are numerous villages and settlements of
the Cherokee Indians extending along the Arkansa,
fl"om the mouth of Point Remove creek upward to
Mulberry river, a distance of about one hundred
nules. These settlements, in respect to the comforts
and conveniences of life they afford, appear to vie
withy and in many instances even surpass, those of
the Americans in that part of the country.

There are a few villages of the Quawpaws or Ar-
katisas^andChoctaws, situated on the south side of the
Arkansa river, below the high lands. They are not
numerous, subsist principally upon game and Indian
com of their own raising, and have ever been friendly
to the whites. Upon the river St. Francis are a few
settlements of the Delawares and Shawnees, disper-
sed reomants of thos^ unfortunate nations. The
severed bands of the Osage nation resident upon the
Verdigrisfe, and uppn the head waters of Osage river,
also the Kpnzas Indians living upon the river bearing
their name, are included within this section of the
country.

In regard to climate, this region, as it expands
t^brough more than eight degrees of latitude, may be
expi^ct^ to afford a considerable variety ; and the
pwUw is suiQSciently verified by the commencement

220

and progress of annual vegetation. The change of
climate is also indicated by certain peculiarities ob-
servable in the vegetable products of different parts
of the country. For example, vegetation begins at
least a month earlier in tlie southern than in the
northern extreme of the region. The Spanish moss
disappears northwardly of the 33d degree of nortli
latitude ; cotton and indigo cannot be cultivated
to advantage in a latitude higher than 36 or S7
degrees ; and the cane brake is seldom found north
of 374: degrees.

In regard to the salubrity of the climate, there is
also a diversity, depending upon local circumstances
rather than upon the temperature of the weather.
A luxuriant soil yielding its products to decay and
putrefy upon the ground, also stagnant waters, flat
lands and marshes in which the river valleys of this
region abound, cannot fail to load the atmosphere
with pestilential miasmata, and render the country
unhealthy, wherever these occurrences are to be met
with. But it is presumed that the causes of disease
will gradually be exterminated as the population of
the country increases.

Of the rivers of this region there are many that
^ are navigable for keel-boats of several tons burden,
but all of them have more or less obstructions from
shoals and frosts at different periods. The Arkansa,
which, in point of magnitude and extent, deservedly
ranks second amongst the tributaries of the Missis-
sippi (the Missouri being the first), is navigable to the
mouth of the Neosho, or Grand river, a distance of
about six hundred miles. In this part of the river,
however, the navigation is liable to obstructions, for
want of a sufficient depth of water, during a period
of two and a half or three months, commencing in
July. Occasional obstructions are also imposed by
ice forming in the river during the winter season,
but these are seldom of long continuance, the win-
ters being usiially short and mild. As th^ freJBhets

221

of tlie river seldom prevail more than a few days
at a time, and are usually attended by sudden rises
and falls of the water, boats of moderate draft and
burden only are suited to its navigation* The Ar«
kansa is navigable at all seasons for boats of this
description about two hundred miles, which com*
prebends the distance by the meanders of the river
from the Mississippi to the commencement of the
high lands. Above the mouth of the Neosho it spreads
to a much greater width than below, and the water
is more extensively diffused over its bed, which
renders the shoals more numerous and the naviga-
tion more precarious. Tiiis part of the Arkansa
cannot indeed be considered navigable, even for
perpgues of a large size, except during the short
period of a freshet, which is seldom long enough to
complete a voyage of one hundred miles ascending
and descending.

The Red river is navigable, during most of the
year, to the Great Raft, about five hundred miles
from its mouth. At this place its navigation is effec*
tually obstructed, except in a high stage of water,
when keel-boats of ten or fifteen tons burden may
passarounditand ascend several hundred miles above.
That part of the river situated above the Raft, how-
ever^ uke the upper part of the Arkansa, is rendered
impassable for boats of burden, by shoals and sandr
bars.

The Washita, tributary to Red river, is navigable
many miles. That part of it particularly situated
within the valley of the Mississippi, and denomina-
ted Black river, admits of constant navigation for
boats of considerable burden. The Little river, which
is also tributary to Red river, together with its forks,
heretofore enumerated, is navigable in high water.
White river is navigable in a moderate stage of water
between tJiree and four hundred miles. Also the
Big Black, itis principal tributary, and several branches
of the river last mentioned, viz,, the Strawberry, Cur«

222

rant, Eleven Point, and Spring rivers. The navigp-
lion of the St. Francis is blocked up near its mouthy
' and rendered impassable for boats of every descrip*
tion, by rafts of logs and drift- W6od, completely
choking the channel of the river, and in many pteces
occupying the whole of its bed for the distance of
several miles together. The Merameg is also navi*.
gable in a moderate stage of water for many miles.

The Gasconade, Osage, and Konzas rivers are
navigable in the spring season, but their navigation
seldom extends far inland from their mouths^ being
obstructed by shoals or rapids.

Of the rivers tributary to the Missouri^ it is re-
markable that their mouths are generally blocked
up with mud, consequent to the subsidence of the
summer freshet of that river, which usually takes
place in the month of July. The reason is obvious ;
the freshets of the more southerly tributaries are dis-
charged early in the season, and wash from their
mouths the sand and mud previously deposited
therein, leaving them free from obstructions. Thete
freshets having subsided, the more northerly branches
discharge their floods, formed by the melting of the
snow at a later period. The Missouri being swollen
thereby, backs its waters, charged with mud, conside-
rable distances up the mouths of the tributaries before
alluded to. The water here becoming stagnant, de-
posits its mud ; and the tributaries^ having no more
freshets to expel it, remain with their mouths thus
obstructed till the ensuing spring.

The lower part of the Canadian river, although it
is included within the section under consideration,
will be described in the sequel of the report, in con-
nexion with the rest of that river.

Of the animals found in the several sections of
country above described, there are a great variety
in almost every department of zoology. . But as
most of them are common in other parts of the
United States, they need not to be enumerated here.

223

Of the country situated between the meridian of the
Council Bltiff and the Rocky Mountains. ^

We next proceed to a description of the country
westward of the assumed meridian, and extending to
the Rocky Mountains, which are its western boun-
dary. This section embraces an extent of about four
hundred miles square, lying between 96 and 105
degrees of west longitude, and between 35 and 42
degrees of north latitude.

Proceeding westwardly across the meridian above
specified^ the hilly country gradually subsides, giving
place to a region of vast extent, spreading toward*
the north and south, and presenting an undulating
surface, with nothing to limit the view or variegate
the prospect, but here and there a hill, knob, or in-
sulated tract of table-land. At length the Rocky
Mountains break upon the view, towering abruptly
from the plains, and mingling their snow-capped
summits with the clouds.

On approaching the mountains, no other change is
observable in the general aspect of the country,
except that the isolated knobs and table-lands
above alluded to become more frequent and more
distinctly marked, the bluffs by which the valleys of
watercourses are bounded present a greater abund-
ance of rocks, stones lie in greater profusion upon the
surface, and the soil becomes more sandy and sterile.
Ifi to the characteristics above intimated, we add
that of an almost complete destitution of woodland
(for not more than one thousandth part of the section
can be said to possess a timber-growth) we shall have
apretty correct idea of the general aspect of the
whole country.

The insulated tracts herein alluded to as table-lands,
are scattered throughout the section, and give to the
country a very remarkable appearance. They rise
from six to eight hundred feet above the common

224

level, and are surrounded in many instances by rugged
slopes and perpendicular precipices, rendering their
dummits almost inaccessible. Many of them are in
this manner completely insulated, while others are
connected witli the plains below by gentle acclivities,
leading from their basis to their summits, upon one
side or other of each eminence. These tracts, as
before intimated, are more numerous, but less exten*
sive in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains than
they are farther eastward ; and in the former situa-
tions, they are more strikingly characterized by the
marks above specified than in the latter.

The geological formations that present themselves
along the declivities of those heignts are principally
horizontal strata of secondary sandstones, and breccia
or puddingstone, alternating with each other. Clink-
stone prevails upon the surface of them in many
places, but in general the superior strata are rocks of
the description just before mentioned. These tracts
are denominated tabular, not from any flatneiss of sur-
face by which they are characterized, but from their
appearance at a distant view, and from the horizontal
disposition of the stratifications imbedded in them.
Their surfaces are usually waving, and in some in-
stances rise into knobs and ridges of several hundred
feet high ; many of them are clad in a scanty growth
of pitch pine, red cedar, scrubby oaks, &c., while
others exhibit a bald or prairie surface.

By far the greater proportion of this section of
country is characterized by a rolling and plain sur-
fece, which may be alleged not only of the space
included within the limits above assigned, but of ex-
tensive portions of country north and south of it
Although the elevated table-lands, a description of
which has just been given, are situated within thfs
region, they occupy but a small proportion of it. In
addition to these inequalities in the surface of the
country, there are numerous mounds or knobs of
different magnitude^ and occasionally swells of greater

lO

225

or less extent, which contribute to give a pleasing
variety to the prospect. The country is also divided
into extensive parterres by the valleys of rivers and
creeks, which are usually sunk 150 or 200 feet below
the common level, and bounded in some places by
perpendicular precipices, and in others by blu£&, or
banks of gentle slopes.

Immediately at the base of the mountains, and
also at those of some of the insular table-lands,
are situated many remarkable ridges, rising in the
form of parapets, to the height of between fifty and
one hundred and fifty feet These appear to have
been attached to the neighbouring heights, of which
they once constituted a part, but have, at some
remote period, been cleft asunder from them by
some extraordinary convulsion of nature, which has
prostrated them in their present condition.

The rocky stratifications, of which these ridges are
principally composed, and which are exactly similar
to those of the insulated table-lands, are variously
inclined, having various dips, from forty-five to eighty
degrees.

Throughout this section of country the surface is
occasionally characterized by water^wom pebbles,
and gravel of granite, gneiss, and quartz, but the pre-
dominant characteristic is sand, which in many
instances prevails almost to the entire exclusion of
vegetable mould. Large tracts are often to be met
with, exhibiting scarcely a trace of viegiBtation*
The whole region, as before hinted, is almost en-
tirely destitute of a timber-growth of any description.
In some few instances, however, sandy knobs and
ridges make their appearance, thickly covered with
red cedars of a dwarfish growth. There are also
some few tracts clad in a growth of pitch pine and
scrubby oaks ; but, in general, nothing of vegetation
appears upon the uplands but withered grass of a
stinted growth, no more than two or three inches
higb^ prickly pears profusely covering extensive

VOL. III. q

226

tracts^ and weeds of a few varieties, whichy like the
prickly pear, seem to thrive best in the most arid and
sterile soil.

In the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains, south-
wardly of the Arkansa river, the surface of the coun*
try, in many places, is profusely covered with loose
fragments of volcanic rocks. On some occasions,
stones of this description are so numerous as almost
to exclude v^etation. A multiplicity of ridges and
knobs of various sizes, clbntaining rocks of this cha-
racter, also make their appearsmce. All these form-
ations seem to be superincumbent upon horizontal
strata of secondary sandstone. But the volcanoes
whence they originated have left no vestiges by
which their exact locality can be determined. In aU
probability, they were extinguished previously to
the recession of the waters that once inundated the
vast r^on between the Alleghany and Jtodky
Mountains.

Of the rivers that have their courses tItfiQfUffh
this section, those of most note are the FUktte, ue
Konzas and its forks, the Arkansa, and t^ Cana-
dian tributa^ to the Arkansa. The FItftte rises in
the Rocky Mountains, and after an eastefty course of
about eignt hundred miles, falls into the Missouri, at
the distance of about seven hundred miles ftoqi the
Mississippi. It derives its name from the circjum-
stance of its being broad and shoal; its average
width being about twelve hundred yards, exclusive
of the islands it embosoms; and its depths in a
moderate stage of water, so inconsiderable^ that the
river is fordable in almost every place. The main
matte is formed of two confluent tributaries of nearly
toual size, called the North and South fqriks, botn
of which have their sources considerably within
the range of the Rocky Mountains. Tbc^ finite
labout four hundred miles westward £rom thQ moui^
of the Platte, having meandered, about ^e Mine dis-
tance eastwardly from the mountains. Besides tli€«f ,

227

tiie Platte has two considerable tributaries, the one
called the Elk Horn, entering a few miles above its
mouth, and the other the Loup Fork, entering about
ninety miles above the same place. The valleys of the
Platte and its several tributaries are extremely broad,
and in many places considerably fertile. They gradually
become less fertile on ascending from the mouths of
the rivers on which they are situated, till at length
they exhibit an arid and sterile appearance. The
alluvion of which the bottoms are composed contains
a large proportion of sand, which, added to the nitrous
and saline matter blended with it, occasions frequent
appearances of complete barrenness. Magnesia also
appears to be a component part of the soil, a quality
invariabhr derogatory to the fertility of any soil. The
valley of the Platte, from its mouths to its constituent
forks, spreads to the width of ten or twelve miles,
and forms a most beautiful expanse of level country.
It is bounded on both sides by high lands, elevated
twenty-five or thirty feet above the valley, and con-
nected therewith by gentle slopes.

The river in several places expands to the width
of many miles, embosoming numerous islands, some
of whidi are broad and considerably extensive, and
all of them covered with a growth of cotton-wood
and willows. These are the only woodlands that
make their appearance along the river, and in travel-
ling w;estward these become less numerous and
extensive, till at length they entirely disappear.
Copses and skirts of woodland again present them-
sdyes in the neighbourhood of the mountains^ but
they are of smaU magnitude, and the trees they
fiumish are of a dwarfish growtli. For a distance of
nearly two hundred miles, commencing at the con-
fluence of the North and South forks, and extending
westwardly towards the mountains, the country is
almost entirely destitute of woodland, scarcely a tree,
bush, or Jsven a shrub, making its appearance.

2128

The Platte is seldom navigable, except for skin
canoes, requiring but a moderate depth oi water, and
for these only when a freshet prevails in the river.
No attempts have ever been made to ascend the river
in canoes for any great distance ; the prevalence^ of
shoals, and the rapidity of the current, discouraging
such an undertaking. The bed of the Platte is seldom
depressed more than six or eight feet below the surface
of the bottoms, and in many places even less ; and
spreads to such a width, that the highest freshets
pass off without inundating the bottoms, except in
their lowest parts ; the rise of the water, on such
occasions, being no more than five or six feet.

In order to account in some measure for the diversity
of soil observable in the vallies of most of our western
rivers, it may not be improper in this place to assign
one of the principal causes that operate in producing
this effect. The alluvial deposits of which the river
bottoms are formed, consist of particles of mud and
sand, more or less minute. The coarser and more
ponderous particles are of coiuse soonest deposited,
while the finer are transported by the current to a
greater distance, and deposited near the mouths of the
rivers. Thus it happens, that the bottoms situated
nearest to the sources of the western rivers, are sandy,
and contain but a small proportion of vegetable mould,
while those nearer their mouths are generally fur-
nished with a rich and fertile loam.

The Konzas, or Konzays, as it is pronounced by the
Indians, is made up of two considerable streams,
heading in the plains between the Platte and Arkansa
rivers, called the Republican and Smoky-hOl forks ;
tributary to the former of these, are the Solom<m's
and Salim forks, of less magnitude, rising also in the
same plains. The Konzas is navigable only in h^
freshets for boats of burden, and on such occasions
not more than one hundred and fifty or two hundred
miles, the navigation being obstructed by shoals.

22d

The charstcter of this river and its several branches is
similar to that of the Platte and its tributaries. Wood-
lands are seldom to be met with, except in narrow skirts
and small copses along the watercourses. Much of
the country situated upon its forks is said to be
possessed of a good soil, but is rendered uninhabit-
able for want of timber and water. The bottoms
are possessed of a light sandy soil, and the uplands
are m many places characterized by aridity and bar-
renness. Tiie surface for the most part is rolling, but
in some instances inclines to hilly.

That portion of the Arkansa included within the
section under consideration has a bed or channel
varying in width from four hundred yards to more
than a mile, exclusively of islands, in the neigh-
bourhood of the mountains, its width does not exceed
fifty or sixty yards, gradually growing wider in its
progress downward. Its valley, for a distance of more
than one hundred miles from the place where it
issues from the mountains, contains a considerable
timber-growth, principally of cotton-wood, in skirts
bordering upon the river, which occasionally em-
bosoms islands clad in the same kind of growth.
Every appearance of timber, however, is lost on a
further progress eastward, and nothing is presented
to variegate or adorn the prospect inland, but a broad
expanse of waving prairies.

Proceeding eastward along the river, its valley
gradually widens, and the blufl^ or banks by yAndn
it is bounded become less elevated and abrupt. The
bottoms rise but a few feet above the water-level of
the river, but the freshetSj having a broad bed like
that of the Platte to expand upon, seldom rise so
high as to inundate the bottoms. This part of the
Arkansa, as before hinted, cannot be considered as
navigable, except for boats of light burden during
the prevalence of a freshet. In a very low stage,
the river is said to disappear in many places, the

Q S

230

^hole of its water passing off through the immense
body of sand of which its bed is composed*.

The Arkansa, having a direction nearly east and
west, has no great variety of climate to traverse in
its course from the mountains to the Mississippi;
consequently there is no succession of thaws tsudng
place upon the river, calculated to maintain a freshet
for any considerable length of time. The freshets
are occasioned by a simultaneous melting of the snow
throughout the whole extent of the river, and by
showers of rain, which, falling upon a rollmg surface,
is quickly drained off^ and causes sudden, but seldom
excessive rises in the river. I have witnessed, in the
Arkansa, no less than three considerable rises and
falls of the water in the course of two weeks.

The most considerable streams tributary to this
part of the Arkansa are the Negracka or Red Fork,
and the Newsewketongu, or Grand Salim, on the
south, and the Little Arkansa and Stinking Fork on
the north side. The Negracka rises within fifty or
sixty miles of the mountains, and after meandering
eastwardly between four and five hundred miles,
unites with the Arkansa at the distance of about nine
hundred miles from the mouth of the latter* The
Newsewketongu has its source in the plains between
the Arkansa and Canadian rivers^ and unites with
the former about one hundred and fifty miles below
the Negracka. The head waters of the Little Arkansa
interlock with those of the Smoky-hill Fork of the
Konzas, and are discharged into the Arkansa^ about
fifteen hundred miles above its mouth. The Stinking
Fork rises amongst the head-waters of the Neosho,
and enters the Arkansa about eight hundred miles
frotn its mouth. Besides these, there are many other
streams of smaller size entering on both sides of the
river.

The Canadian rises at the base of the Rocky
Mountains^ and after a meandering course of about

231

one thousand milest enters the Arkansa at the dis*
tance of about five hundred and fifty miles from the
mouth of the latter. This river has genetallv been
represented, upon the maps of the country, as having
a north-easterly course ; whereas its source is nearly
in the same latitude as its confluence with the Arkansa)
consequently its general course is nearly east. In its
course, it forms an extensive curve to the southward,
leaving a broad space between it and the Arkansa, in
which several streams, many hundred miles in length,
tributary to both of these rivers, have their ongin
and course.

This river has a broad valle^, bounded by blufib
firom two to five hundred feet high, faced with rocky
precipices near its source, and presenting abrupt de-
clivities, intersected by numerous ravines lower down.
It has a spacious bed, depressed but a few feet below
the bottoms, and exhibiting one continued stratum
of sand through the greater part of its length. It is
the channel through which the water of a vast extent
of country is carried off, yet, during most of the sum*
mer season, it is entirely destitute of running water
throughout a large proportion of its extent^ a cir*
cumstance in proof of the aridity of region drained
by it. fifty miles above its mouth, it receives at least
two-thirds of its water from its piincinal tributary,
denominated the North Fork. This fork rises be-
tween the Arkansa and Canadian^ and has a mean*
dering course of about seven hundred miles. Six
miles above the fork just mentioned, another tributary
enters the Canadian called the South Fork, about
half as large as the other. Notwithstanding t^e sup*
plies afforaed by these two tributaries, the Canadian
has not a sufficiency of water in summer to render it
navigabfe even to their mouths. At the distance of
twenty miles above its mouth, a chain Of rocks (slaty
sandstone) extends across the bed of the river, but
occasHons no considerable fall. A little above the
entranee of the South Fork, is another of the same

q4

232

description^ forming rapids of moderate descent, not
more than four hundred yards in length. With these
exceptions, the bed of the river presents no rocky-
formations in place, for more than four hundred miles
from its confluence with the Arkansa. About three
hundred and fifty miles from that point, beds of
gypsum, or plaster, of Paris,, begin to make their ap-
pearance in the bluffs fronting upon the river, and
upon the declivities of the hi^land knobs. A great
abundance of this article is to be met with^ not only
upon the Canadian, but also upon the upper part of
the Arkansa. The hills, in which it is imbedded, are
composed of ferruginous clay and fine sand of a deep
red complexion.. Hence the Arkansa derives the
colouring matter that gives to its waters their reddish
hue.

The bottoms of the Canadian, in the neighbour-
hood of its mouth, are possessed of a soil exceedingly
prolific ; but, like those of the other rivers of uus
region, the more remote their situation from the
mouth of the river, the more sandy and sterile is their
appearance. Its valley is plentifully supplied with
timber of an excellent quality, for a distance of about
two hundred miles on the lower part of the river ; and
the high lands, for nearly the same distance, are agree-
ably diversified with prairies and woodlands, Tliis
portion of the river is situated eastward of the a^ssumed
meridian, and the country upon it has already been
partially described in a former part of this report.

The woodland growth, upon the lower part of the
Canadian, consists of cotton-wood, sycamore, white,
blue> and black ash, swamp cedar, red elm, coffee
tree, yellow wood, sugar tree, box elder, white and
black walnut, wild cherry, mulberry, &c. in the river
valley ; and hickory, white and post oak, black jack,
blacK oak, &c. upon the adjacent uplands. On a
progress westward* the most valuable of the timber
trees above enumerated disappear, till at length oc-
casional groves of cottpn-wood, mipgled wiUi miil-

233

berry, red elm, and ' stunted shrubbery of various
kin^, constitute the only woodlands of the country.
On this occasion, it may be observed, that the cane
<Hr reed, the pea- vine, pawpaw, spice- wood, hop-vine,
and several other varieties of shrubs and vines com-
mon only to rich soils, are no where to be found
within this section, or westward of the proposed
meridian.

' The country of the Canadian above that last con-
sidered, or that portion of it west of the assumed
meridisdi, appears to be possessed of a soil somewhat
richer than the more northerly parts of the section,
but exhibits no indications of extraordinary fecundity
in any part of it. Proceeding westward, a very
gradual change is observable in the apparent fertility
of the soil, the surface becoming more sandy and
sterile, and the vegetation less vigorous and luxuriant.
The bottoms appear to be composed, in many places,
almost exclusively of loose sand, exhibiting but few
signs of vegetation. Knobs and drifts of sand, driven
from the bed of the river by the violence of the wind,
are piled in profusion along the margin of the river
throughout the greater part of its length. It is re-
markable, that these drifts are in many instances
covered with grape vines of a scrubby appearance,
bearing fruit in tne greatest abundance and perfec-
tion. The vines grow to various heights, from
eighteen inches to four feet, unaccompanied, in some
instances, by any other vegetable, and bear a grape
of a dark purple or black colour, of a delicious flavour,
and of the size of a large pea or common gooseberry.
The waters of this section, almost in every part of
it, appear to hold in solution a greater or less pro-
portion of common salt and sulphate of magnesia,
which, in many instances, render them too brackish
or bitter for use. Saline and nitrous efflorescences
frequently occur upon the surface, in various parts
of the country, and incrustations of salt, of consider-

2S4

able thickness^ are to be found in some few places
south of the Arkansa river. As to the existence
of rock salt in a mineral state some doubts are to he
entertained, if the decision is to rest upon the cha-
racter of the specimens exhibited as proofs <^ the
fact. The several examples of this formation that
we have witnessed, are evidently crystalline salt
deposited by a regular process of evaporation and
crystallization, and formed into ccmcrete masses or
crusts upon the surface of the ground.

Indications of coal are occasionally to be seen, but
this mineral does not probably occur in large quan-
tities. The geological character of this section is
not such as to encourage the search for valuable
minerals. A deep crust of secondary sandstone
occasionally alternating with breccia, with here ami
there a superstratum of rocks of a primitive type,
are the principal formations that present themselves.

Of the animals of this region, the buffidoe or bison
ranks first in importance, inasmuch as it supplies
multitudes of savages not only with the principal
part of their necessary food, but also contributes to
furnish them with warm clothing. The flesh o£ this
animal is equal, if not superior, to beef, and aflfords
not only a savoury but a wholesome diet A laige
proportion of this section, commencing at the as-
sumed meridian^ and extending westward to within
one hundred miles of the Rocky Mountains, consti-
tutes a part only of their pasture ground, over which
they roam in numbers to an incredible amount Their
range extends northwardly and southwardly of the
section, as far as we have any particular account of
the country. The animal next in importance is the
wild horse, a descendant, no doubt, of the Spanish
breed of horses, to which its size, form and varietur of
colours, show that it is nearly allied. In regard to
their contour, symmetry, &c. they afford all the virie^
ties common to that breed of horses. Hiey are

285

considerably numerous in some parts of the country,
but not abundant. They are generally collected in
guigs, but are sometimes solitary.

6ri2Szly or white bears are frequently to be seen
in fke vicinity of the mountains. They are much
larger than the common bear, endowed with great
strength* and are said to be exceedingly ferocious.
The black or common bears are numerous in some
patts of the country, but none of these animals are
found remote from woodlands, upon the products of
which they in a great measure depend for their sub-
sistence.

The common deer are to be met with in every
p^ of this section, but are most numerous in the
yicinity of woodlands. The black-tailed or mule
deer is found only in the neighbourhood of the
mountains; hilly and broken lands seem to afford
them their favourite pasture ground. The elk is also
an inhabitant of this section, but is not to be found
remote from woodlands. The cabric wild goat, or,
as it is more frequently called, the antelope, is com-
mon. They are numerous, and with the buffaloe are
the common occupants of the plains, from which
they retire only in quest of water.

wolves are exceedingly numerous, particularly
within the immediate range of the buffaloe. Of
these there are many varieties, distinguishable by
their shap^ size and colour.

The marmot, commonly called the prairie dog, is
more abundant throughout this section than any
other quadruped. They live in villages scattered in
every direction, and thickly inhabited ; a single vil-
lage in some instances occupying a tract of ground
three or four miles in extent. Their habitations are
burrows three or four inches in diameter, situated at
ihe distance of fifteen or twenty paces asunder.
Their habits and manners in other respects are pecu-
liarly interesting. They subsist on vegetables ; their

336

flesh is similar to that of the ground hog, and their
hair equally as coarse.

The beaver, otter, mink, and muskrat, are numer*-
ous upon the rivers, creeks, and rivulets issuing
from the mountains, and generally upon those whose
valleys are supplied with woodland.

Badgers, raccoons, hares, polecats, porcupines,
many varieties of squirrels, panthers, wild cats,
lynxes and foxes of several species, are also inha-
bitants of this section. Besides these, the country
affords a great variety and abundance of reptiles
and insects, both venomous and harmless.

Of the feathered tribes, no very considerable
variety is observable. The turtle-dove, the jay, the
bam swallow, the quail (partridge of the Middle
States), the owl, whip-poor-will, and lark, which seem
more widely distributed over the territory of the
United States than any other birds, are found here.
Several varieties of the hawk, containing some new
species, the bald and gray eagle, the buzzard, raven,
crow, jackdaw, magpie, turkey, two or three varie-
ties of the grouse, pheasant, pigeon, many varieties
of the sparrow and fly-catcher, the whooping or
sandhill crane, curlew, sandpiper, together with a
variety of other land and water fowls, are more or
less numerous in this region. It is remarkable that
birds of various kinds common to the sea>coast,
and seldom found far in the interior, pervade the
valley of the Mississippi to a great distance from
the gulf of Mexico, and frequent the regions adja-
cent to the Rocky Mountains.

In regard to this extensive section of countiy, I
do not hesitate in giving the opinion, that it is
almost wholly unfit for cultivation, and of course
uninhabitable by a people depending upon agricul-
ture for their subsistence. Although tracts of fertile
land considerably extensive are occasionally to be
met with, yet the scarcity of wood and water, almost

237

uniformly prevalent, will prove an insuperable
obstacle in the way of settling the country. This
objection rests not only against the section immedi-
ately under consideration, but applies with equal
propriety to a much larger portion of the country.
Agreeably to the best intelligence that can be had,
concerning the country both northward and south-
ward of the section, and especially to the inferences
deducible from the account given by Lewis and
Clarke of the country situated between the Missouri
and the Rocky Mountains above the river Platte,
the vast region commencing near the sources of
the Sabine, Trinity, Brases, and Colorado, and ex-
tending northwardly to the forty-ninth degree of
north latitude, by which the United States' territory
is limited in that direction, is throughout of a simi-
lar character. The whole of this region seems
peculiarly adapted as a range for buffaloes, wild
goats, and other wild game ; incalculable multitudes
of which find ample pasturage and subsistence upon
it

This region, however, viewed as a frontier, may
prove of infinite importance to the United States, in-
asmuch as it is calculated to serve as a barrier to
prevent too great an extension of our population
westward, and secure us against the machinations
or incursions of an enemy that might otherwise be
disposed to annoy us in that part of our frontier.

The Indians of the section last described, whose
numbers are very limited compared with the extent
of country they inhabit, will be considered in the
sequel of this report.

Of the Rocky Mountains.

. This range of mountains has been distinguished
by a variety of appellations, amongst which the fol-
lowing are the most common, viz. Rocky, Shining,
Mexican, Chippewyan^ Andes, &c. The general

23S

course of the range is about N.N.W. or S.S.E*
Its breadth varies from fifty to one hundred miles.
They rise abruptly out of the plains, which lie ex-
tended at their base on the east side, towering into
peaks of great height, which renders them visible at
the distance of more than one hundred miles east-
ward from their base. They consist of ri^es,
knobs, and peaks, variously disposed, among which
are interspersed many broad and fertile valleys. The
more elevated parts of the mountains are covered
with perpetual snows, which contribute to give them
a luminous and at a great distance even a brilliant
appearance, whence they have derived the name
of Shining Mountains.

Between the Arkansa and Platte, on a small creek
tributary to the former, is situated a high part of
the mountains, denominated the << Highest Peak*'
on many maps of the country, and said to be more
elevated than any other part within the distance
of one hundred and fifty or two hundred miles.
This peak, whose summit has been accounted inac-
cessible, was ascended by a detachment of the ex-
pedition conducted by Dr. James, from which
circumstance it has been called James's P^ak. Its
elevation above the common level, ascertained by a
trigonometrical measurement, is about eight thou-
sand five hundred feet. But the correctness of the
statement, that it is higher than any other parts: of
the mountains within the distance above meBtioned,
is questionable. Judging from the position of the
snow near the summits of other peaks and ridges at
no great distance from it, a much greater elevation
is apparent.

The mountains are clad in a scattering growth
of scrubby pines, oak, cedar, and furze, and exhibit
a very rugged and broken aspect. The rocky form-
ations embodied in them, contrary to the opinion
flrenerall V received, are of a nrimitive character, con-

239

should be remarked, however, that a deep crust of
secondary rocks,, the same as the stratifications of
the plains before mentioned, appears to recline
against the east side of the mountains, extending
upward firdof their base many hundred feet.

At the base of James's Peak above designated,
are two remarkable springs of water, considerably
iMipious, and strongly impregnated with fixed air.
At the place also where the Arkansa issues from the
mountains, are several medicinal springs on the north
side of the river, rising in a small area at the base
of the mountain. These springs were discovered
by Captain Bell, and, in consequence, I have taken
the liberfy to call them Bell's Springs. They are
(ux in number, one of which is strongly impregnated
with fixed air, another with sulphurated hydrogen,
and the rest with salt and sulphur ; the water of all
being more or less chalybeate.

Qf the Indians inhabiting the section of country last

described.

. This country is exclusively inhabited by savages,
no other beings of the human family having fi^ed
their abode within it. They consist of the foUowing
tribes and nations, whose numbers, places of resi-
4ence^ and mode of life, will be subjects of consider-
ation as far as our knowledge of them extends.

The Otoes, or as they are called in their own Ian*
guage, the Wahtooh-tan-tah, reside in a permanent
village of dirt or earthen lodges, on the south bank
of the river Platte, about fifty miles from its con-
fluence with the Missouri, and thirty miles south-
^estwardly from the Council Bluff. The principal
remnant of the old Missouries, who have become
Qxtixict as a nation, have their residence with the
Qtoes. In the course of the last winter, whilst these
I?A4i9Qs were absient from their village on their
winter-hunt, their town was partly burnt by the

240

Sauks, which misfortune induced them to take up
a temporary abode upon Salt river, a few miles
from their former residence. But it was generally-
supposed that they would retium again, and rebuild
their town. The name of their principal chief is
Shongotongo, or Big Horse. Probable number of
lodges 100, of persons 1400. The Otoes and Mis-
souries are esteemed a brave people, and are friendly
towards the Americans. They are at war with the
Sauks, Foxes, Sioux, Osages, letans, and other Indians
west of the MissourL A small band of the loways
resided for some time with these Indians, but not
being able to harmonize with them, lately returned
to their old village on the river De Moyen of the
Mississippi. Their principal chief, usually called Hard
Heart, being dissatisfied with the conduct of his tribe,
remains with the Otoes.

The Omawhaw,'Or as it is conunonly written the
Maha nation, exultingly boast that they have never
killed an American. On the contrary, they have
ever been friendly, and still hold the Americans in
tlie highest estimation. Under the influence of their
present principal chief, Ongpatonga, or the Big Elk,
they never go to war except in the pursuit of a pre-
datory war-party, in consequence of which the tracers
have given them the reputation of being cowardly*
But the history of this people shows that they have
been as ambitious of martial renown, and have ac-
quired as large a share of it, as any of their neighbours.
They formerly resided in a village of dirt lodges upon
Omawhaw creek, a small stream entering the Mis-
souri about two hundred miles above the Council
Bluff; but they have recently abandoned it, and are
about building a town on Elk Horn river. Their
number of souls is about 1500.

The Puncahs have their residence in a small village
of dirt lodges, about one hundred and eighty nules
above Omawhaw creek. This tribe have a common ori-
gin with theOmawhaws, and speak the same language.

241

Their principal chief is called Smoke Maker. Their
number is apout 200 souls.

The tribes above enumerated evidently sprung
from the same common stock, the language of au
being radically the same. They have a tradition
that their fathers came from b^ond the Lakes.

Hie Pawnees are a race of Indians distinct from
the preceding, their language differing radically
from that of the Indians alluded to. The Pawnees
consist of three distinct bands, that have their resi-
dence at present on a branch of the river Platte
called the Loup Fork, about sixty miles from the
mouth of the latter, and between 100 and 115 miles
westward from the Council Bluff. The three bands
are distinguished by the appellation of the Grande
the . Republican, and the Loup Pawnees. The two
former acknowledge a common origin, but the latter
deny having any natural affinity with them, though
their habits^ language, &c. indicate the same an*
cestry. They live in three villages, included within
an extent of about seven miles on the north bank of
the. Loup Fork, all compactly built.

The village of the Grand Pawnees is situated imme-
diately on the bank of the river, and contains about
180 earthen lodges, 900 families, or 3500 souls. The
name of the principal chief of this village is Tarrare-
cawaho, or Long Hair.

TTie village of the Republican Pawnees is situated
about three miles above that of the Grand Pawnees,
contains about 50 lodges, 250 families, or 1000 souls.
The npme of their principal chief is Fool Robe, who
is very much under the influence of Long Hair.
This band separated many years since from the
Grand Pawnees, and established themselves upon the
Republican fork of Konzas river, where they were
visited by Pike on his tour westward. They seem
to be gradually amalgamating with the present stock,
and their village wears a declining aspect.

The village of the Loup Pawnees, or Skerce, as
they call themselves, is situated four mUes above

VOL. III. R

242

that last mentioned, immediately on the bank of the
river ; it contains about 100 dirt lodges, 500 families,
or SOOO souls, making an aggregate of 6500 souls be-
longing to the three villages. The name of their prin-
cipal chief is the Knife Chief. A few years since the
Loup Pawnees had a custom ofannually sacrificing a
human victim to the Great Star, but this was abolished
by their present chief, aided by the noble daring of his
gallant son. They appear unwilling to acknowledge
their aflSnity with the other Pawnees; but their lan-
guage being very nearly the same, proves them to be
of the same origin.

Although these bands are independent of each
other in all their domestic concerns, government,
'&c., yet in their military operations they generally
unite, and warfare becomes a common cause with
them. Their arms are principally bows and arrows,
lances^ war-clubs, and shields, with some few fire-
arms. They are expert horsemen, but generally
fight on foot. They are more numerous, and ac-
counted more formidable in warfare, than, any other
combination of savages on the Missouri. Their
confidence in their own strength gives them a dis-
position to domineer over their weaker neighbours.
They are at war with the Osages, Konzas, Sioux,
letans, Kaskaias^ Kiaways, Shiennes, Crows, &c.

The several tribes above described cultivate maize
or Indian com, pumpkins, beans, watermdons, and
squashes. They hunt the bison or buffidoe, elk,
deer, beaver, otter ; the skins of which they exchange
with the traders for fusees, powder, and lead, kettles,
knives, strouding, blankets, beads, vermilion, silver
ornaments, and other trinkets. They prefer the
Mackinaw guns, blankets, &c., and will give a higher
price for them, knowing that they are greatly supe-
rior to those fiunished by American traders.

The Konzas and Osages, both of which reside in
the vicinity of the meridian assumed as the eastern
bV)iaida:ry of this section, may here be admitted to a
ndore particular consideration than that already

243

allowed them in this report. The Konzas Indians
reside in a village of earthen lodges, situated on the
north side of the river bearing their name, about
one hundred miles from its mouth. Their viUage
consists of about 130 lodges, and contains about 1500
souls. This tribe was formerly very troublesome to
our traders, frequently robbing them of their goods,
but since the establishment of the upper posts on the
Missouri they have become very friendly. They
are at war with most of the other tribes and nations
herein enumerated, except theOsages and Otoes,
with the last of whom they have lately made peace,
through the agency of Major O'Fallon, Indian agent
for the Missouri. Several Indians of the Missouri
tribe reside with them.

The Osages are divided into three bands or tribes,
called the Grand Osage, the Little Osage, and Cler-
mont's band; the two former of which reside in
permanent villages, situated on the head-waters of
Osage river, and the last upon the Verdigrise, about
sixty miles from its confluence with the Arkansa.
According to Pike, whose estimate of their numbers
is probably near the truth, the Grand Osage band
amounts to 1695, the Little Osage to 824, and Cler-
mont's to 1500 souls, making an aggregate of about
4000. These Indians are not accounted brave by
those inhabiting the country to the north and east of
them, but are the dread of those west and south of
them. Although they have occasionally been charge-
able with depredations committed against the whites,
they have been provoked to the perpetration of them
by aggressions or trespasses on the part of the latter,
or ^;e the depredations have been committed by
malcontents of the nation, who will not be governed
by the counsel of their chiefs. These Indians hold
the people and government of the United States in
the highest estimation, and have repeatedly signified
their strong desire to be instructed by them in the
arts of civilization. The United States have pur-
chased from them large and valuable tracts of country

E 2

244

for mere trifles, which the Osages have been the
more willing to relinquish, under the prospect and
encouragement given them, that the Americans
would become their neighbours and instructors. They
are in a state of warrare with all the surrounding
tribes and nations of Indians, except the Konzas. It
is said, that they are about forming an alliance with
the Sauks and Fox Indians of the Mississippi, and
that the latter are preparing to remove to their
country. They have recently driven the Pawnees of
Red river from their place of residence, and com-
pelled them to seek an abode upon the head waters
either of the Erases or Colorado.

The Konzas and Osages are descendants from the
same common origin with the Otoes, Missouries,
loways, Omawhaws, and Puncahs, to which may be
added the Quawpaws, and several other tribes, not
mentioned in this report. The languages of all of them
are radically the same, but are now distinguished by
a variety of dialects.

Of the Arrapahoes^ KaskaiaSj Kicvways, letans^

and Shiennes.

These nations have no permanent residences or
villages, but roam, sometimes in society and some-
times separately, over the tract of country constituting
the section last described. They hunt the bison prin-
cipally, and migrate from place to place in the pursuit
01 the herds of that animal, upon the flesh of which
they chiefly subsist. Being thus accustomed to a
roving life, they neglect the cultivation of the soil,
and are compelled to subsist almost exclusively upon
animal food. They formerly carried on a limited
trade with the Spaniards of Mexico, with whom they
exchanged dressed bison-skins for blankets, wheat,
flour, maize, &c.; but their supplies of these articles
are now cut off by a war, which they at present are
waging against that people. They also, at distant
periods, held a kind of fair on a tributary of the

245

Platte, near the mountains (hence called Grand Camp
creek), at which they obtained British merchandize
from the Shiennes of Shienne river, who obtained the
same at the Mandan village from the British traders
that frequent that part of our territory. Last winter
they traded a great number of horses and mules with
a party of white men, who had ascended Red river,
but whence the party came from could not be ascer-
tained ; it however appeared probable that they
were citizens of the United States, or possibly free-
booters from Barataria.

The Shiennes associated with these wandering
tribes are a small band of seceders from the
nation of the same name residing upon Shienne
river. They are said to be daring and fero-
cious. They are however kept under restraint by
the energy and firmness of their chief. The Bear
Tooth, who is the principal chief of the Arrapahoes,
and the head chief of all these nations, possesses
great influence over the whole. His mandates,
which are uniformly characterized by discretion and

})ropriety, are regarded by his subjects as inviolable
aws.

The Kaskaia and Kiaway languages are very
difficult to acquire a knowledge of. Our interpreter,
who had lived several years with them, could only
make himself understood by the language of signs,
with the aid of a very few words of the Crow language,
which many of them appeared to understand. Indeed
many of the individuals of these different nations
seemed to be ignorant of each other's language ; for
when they met, they would communicate by means
of signs, with now and then an oral interjection, and
would thus maintain a conversation, apparently with-
out the least difficulty or misapprehension.

These nations are at war with all the Missouri
Indians, as far down as the Osages, who are also in-
cluded amongst their enemies ; and it was rumoured
that hostilities had recently commenced between them
and the Shiehnes, upon the river of the same name.

R 3

246

Their implements of war consist of the bow and
arrow, the lance, war-club, and shield. They nsually
fight on horseback, and as horsemen display great
skill and activity. Their habitations are leather
lodges^ which serve them as tents on the march, and
dwellings at the places of their encampment.

Widely diffused as these Indians are, and never
embodied, it is impracticable even to comecture their
numbers with any degree of probable accuracy.
They rove not only throughout the section above
specified, but extensively within the range of the
Rocky Mountains.

The foregoing remarks concerning the Indians of
this part of the country have been made for the mojst
part agreeably to the suggestions of Mr. Say, whose
attention was particularly directed to researches of
this nature. But having been robbed of his notes
upon the customs, manners, traditions, &c. of the
western Indians, by the men who deserted from
Captain BelPs party, he could give no farther account
of them than what his recoUection could supply.
Of the Konzas, Otoes, Pawnees, and other Indians
near the Council Bluff, his notes are considerably
extensive ; but the vessel on board of which they,
with other articles, were shipped from New Orleans,
having been obstructed in her passage up the Dela-
ware by ice, we have not yet received them.

Observations embracing several traits qf character
common to the Indians qfthe western country.

An accurate and extensive knowledge of the
numerous tribes and nations of Indians living
within the United States' territory can only be at-
tained by a long residence with them. Tiiey are
seldom communicative, except upon subjects inti-
mately connected with their personal experience or
present interests and welfare. In regard to matters
of an abstract or metaphysical nature their ideas

247

appear to be very limited ; at any rate very little is
laiown of their sentiments upon subjects of this kind,
owing, in a great measure, to the inability of the per-
sons usually employed as interpreters to converse
intelligently concerning them. The delicate trains
of thought and reflection attributed to them by
writers who have attempted to enlarge our acquaint-
ance with the Indian cnaracter, usually have their
origin in the ingenuity of the writers themselves^
The exploits of their war-parties, and particularly
those of individuals, are often recounted, but are
seldom transmitted to succeeding generations, unless
they are characterized by some signal advantage to
the tribe or nation to which the party or individual
belongs. Hence their history is very defective,
affi>rding but few incidents, and charactierized by no
regular series of events. In regard to the number
of persons, and strength of the several tribes and
nations, also the ages of individuals, no precise state-;
ments can be made ; all the information given under
these heads is almost without exception conjectural.
In relation to subjects of this kind the Indians are
either ignorant or wilfully silent ; and deem it an
impertinent curiosity that prompts a stranger to the.
investigation of them.

Notwithstanding these obstacles in the way of ac-
quiring authentic and credible information concern-
ing the savages, yet there are certain traits in their
general character that are observable on a partial
acquaintance with a variety of tribes and nations, and
upon these the following remarks are grounded.

They are, almost without exception, addicted to,
habits of extreme indolence; self-preservation, sell-
defence, and recreation being their usual incitements
to action. The laborious occupations of the men
consist almost exclusively in hunting, warfare, and
tending their horses. Their amusements are princi-
pally horse-racing, gambling, and sports of varioui;
kinds. The cultivation of com and other vegetables,^

B 4

248

the gathering of fuel, cooking, and all other kinds of
domestic drudgery, is the business of the wOnten, the
itien deeming it degrading to their dignity to be
occupied in employments of this kind. Their reli-
gion consists in the observance of a variety of rites
and ceremonies, which they practise with much zeal
sind ardour. Their devotional exercises consist in
singing, dancing, and the performance of various
mystical ceremonies, which they believe efficacious
in healing the sick, frustrating the designs of their
enemies, and in giving success to any enterprize in
which they may be embarked.

Amongst all these tribes and nations secret associ-
ations or councils are common, the proceedings of
which are held sacred, and not to be divulged, except
when the interests of the people are thought to re-

Suire a disclosure. To these councils, which they
enominate medicine, or rather magic feasts, none
are admitted but the principal men of the nation, or
such as have signalized themselves by their exploits
in battle, hunting, stealing horses, or in any of the
pursuits accounted laudable by the Indians.

In these assemblies the policy of making war or
peace, and the manner in which it is to be effected,
also all matters involving the interests of the nation,
^re first discussed. Having thus been the subject of
deliberation in solemn council (for the proceedings
at these feasts are conducted with the greater so-
lemnity,) the decision, of whatever nature it maybe,
is published to the people at large by certain mem^
bers of the council performing the office of criers.
On such occasions, the criers not only proclaim the
measures that have been recommended, but explain
the reasons of them, and urge the people zealously
to support them. It is also the business of the criiers,
who are generally men of known valour and approved
habits, and are able to enforce their precepts by the
examples they have set, to harangue the people of
their village daily, and exhort them to such a course

249

of life as is deemed praiseworthy. On such occa-
sions^ which are usually selected in the stillness of
the morning or evening, the crier marches through
the village, uttering his exhortation in a loud voice,
and endeavouring to inculcate correct principles and
sentiments. The young men and children of the
village are directed how to demean themselves, in
order to become useful and enjoy the esteeih of good
men, and the favour of the good spirit. In this way
they are incited to wage war or sue for peace ; and
to practise according to their ideas of morality and
virtue ; and may be swayed to almost any purpose
that their elders, for such are their men of medicine
(or as the term imports, magic wisdom), think proper
to execute. They appear to have no laws, except
such as grow out of habitual usages, or such as are
sanctioned by common consent. The executive of
their government seems to be vested in the chiefs and
warriors ; while the grand council of the nation is
composed of the medicine council above mentioned,
at wnich the principal chief presides. In all their
acts of devotion, as also on all occasions where their
confidence is to be won, or their friendship to be
plighted, the smoking of tobacco seems to be in-
variably regarded as an inviolable token of sincerity.
They believe in the existence of a Supreme Being,
whom they denominate " Master of Life*' or " Good
Spirit," but of his attributes their ideas are vague
and confused. They are generally in the habit of
offering in sacrifice a portion of the game first taken
on a hunting expedition, a part of the first products
of the field, and often a small portion of the food
provided for their refreshment. In smoking, they
generally direct the first puff upward, and the
second downward to the earth, or the first to the
rising and the second to the setting sun ; after
which they inhale the smoke into their lungs, and
puff it out through the nostrils for their own re-
freshment.

250

They have some indistinct notions of the immor-
tality of the soul, but appear to know no distinction
of Heaven or Hell, Elysium or Tartarus, as the abode
of departed spirits.

The arts of civilized life, instead of excitiDg tiieir
emulation, are generally viewed by tiie Indians 'as
objects unworthy of their attention. This results, as
a natural consequence, from their habits of indolence.
They are aware that much labour is requisite in the
prosecution of them, and being accustomed from
their infancy to look upon manual labour of every
•description as a drudgery that pertains exclusively
to the female part of their community, they think
it degrading to the character of men to be employed
in them. Hunting, horsemanship, and warfare are
the only avocations in which their ambition or sense
of honour prompts them to engage.

Their reluctance to forgive an injury is proverbial.
*^ Injuries are revenged by the injured j and blood
for blood is always demanded, if the deceased has
friends who dare to retaliate upon the destroyer.**
Instances have occurred where their revenge lias
become hereditary, and quarrels have been settled long
after the parties immediately concerned have become
extinct. '

Much has been published in relation to the high
antiquity of Indian tradition, of those particularly
which relate to their origin and their religion. But
from the examples afforded by the several nations of
Indians resident upon the Mississippi and its waters,
but littie proof is to be had in favour of the position.
It is not doubted that the immediate objects of their
worship have been held in reverence by their pre-
decessors for a long succession of ages; but in
respect to any miraculous dispensations of providence,
of which they have a traditional knowledge, their
ideas are at best exceedingly vague and confused ;
and of occurrences recorded in sacred history they
appear to be entirely ignorant The knowledge jthey

251

have of their ancestry is alao very limited ; so much
4K>, that thejr can seldom trace back their pedigree
more than a few generations ; and then know so
little of the place whence their fathers came, that
they -can only express their ideas upon the subject, in
general terms, stating, that they came " from beyond
the lakes," — " from the rising or setting sun" —
" from the north or south," &c. In some instances,
where their term of residence in a place has evidently
been of limited duration, they have either lost or
conceal their knowledge of the country whence their
ancestors came, and assert that the Master of Life
created and planted their fathers on the spot where
they, their posterity, now live. They have no division
of time, except by years, seasons, moons, and days.
Particular periods are distinguished by the growth
and changes of vegetables, the migrations, incuba-
tions, &c. of birds and other animals.

Their language is of two kinds, viz. verbal and
signal, or the language of signs. The former presents
a few varieties, marked by radical differences, and a
multiplicity of dialects peculiar to individual tribes
or nations descended from the same original. The
latter is a language common to most, if not all, of
the western Indians, the motions or signs used to
express ideas bein^, with some slight variations, the
same amongst all of them. Nearly allied to the
language of signs is a species of written language
which they make use of, consisting of a few symbol-
ical representations, and of course very limited and
defective. The figures they make use of have but
a faint resemblance to the object described, and are
rudely imprinted upon trees, cliffs, &c. by means of
paints, charcoal, and sometimes by carving with a
knife or other edged tool, and are signficant of
some movement, achievements, or design of the
Indians. A variety of figures of this description are
to be seen upon the cliffs, rocks, and trees in places
held sacred and frequently resorted to by the Indians,

252

but of their import little is known. Many of these
symbols are made by the magicians^ or men of
medicine, and are probably of sacred or devotional
import.

Much intrigue, cunning, and artifice are blended
with the policy of the Indians, and judging from
their usual practice, it is a favourite and well approved
maxim with them, that " the end sanctifies the means."
In an interview with strangers it appears to be their
first object to ascertain their motives and the objects
of their visits ; and after regarding them for some time
without a show of curiosity, a variety of interroga-
tories are proposed, in order to satisfy themselves
upon these points. This they appear to do with the
view also of scrutinizing into the character and dis-
position of their guests. In the course of the con-
versation they become more and more familiar and
impertinent, till at length their familiarity is suc-
ceeded by contempt and insult. Thus, from the
coldest reserve, they are in a short time impelled by
curiosity and a propensity to abuse, where they are
not in some measure compelled to respect, to the
commission of outrages, even without the slightest
provocation. This kind of treatment, however, is
easily obviated at the commencement of an interview,
by resisting every advance made by the Indians to-
wards familiarity, and by uniformly opposing firm-
ness and reserve to the liberties they are disposed to
take.

These attributes of the Indian character manifest
themselves not only in the well-known stratagems
they adopt in warfare, but in the management of
their doniestic concerns, in which rivalships of one
kind or other are created ; parties are formed and pre-
tenders arise, claiming privileges that have been with-
held from them, and placing themselves at the head
of factions, occasionally withdraw from the mother
tribe. Thus new tribes are formed and distributed in
various directions over the country, with nothing to

' 10 "

253

mark their genealogy, but the resemblance of their
language to that of the parent stock, or of other
Indians that sprung from the same origin.
. The chiefs, or governors of tribes, have their rank and
title by inheritance ; yet in order to maintain them, and
secure themselves in their pre-eminence, they are
under the necessity of winning over to their interests
the principal warriors and most influential men of their
tribe, whose countenance and support are often essen-
tial to their continuance in authority. In conciliating
the friendship of these, the chief is often compelled
to admit them to participate in the authority with
which he is invested, and to bestow upon them any
effects of which he may be possessed. Thus it often
happens that the chiefs are amongst the poorest of
the Indians, having parted with their horses, clothes,
trinkets, &c. to ensure the farther patronage of their
adherents, or to purchase the friendship of those that
are disaffected.

.. The situation of principal chief is very frequently
usurped during the minority of the rightful successor,
or wrested from an imbecile incumbent by some am-
bitious chief or warrior. In this case the ascendancy
obtained over the nation by the usurper is gradual,
and depends upon the resources of his own mind,
aided by his reputation for generosity and valour.

The condition of the savages is a state of constant
alarm and apprehension. Their security from their
enemies, and their means of subsistence, are precarious
and uncertain, the former requiring the utmost vigi-
lance to prevent its infraction, and the latter being
attended with no regular supplies of the necessaries
of life. In times of the most profound peace, whether
at their villages or on a hunting expedition, they are
continually on the alert lest they should be surprised
by their enemies. By day scouts are constantly kept
patrolling for a considerable distance around them,
and by night sentinels are posted to give notice of
the approach of strangers.

254

When tliey engage in a hunt, they generally abandon
their villages, old men, women, and children joining
in the enterprize, through fear of being left at home
without the stren^h of their nation to protect them.
On their march they endeavour to make as great a
display of force as practicable, in order to intimidate
any of their enemies that may be lurking to spy out
their condition. With this view they are careml to
pitch their lodges or tents at the places of their en-
campment in such a manner, and in such numbers,
as to give the impression, at a distance, that they are
numerous and lormidable. We have witnessed a
hunting party on their march, consisting of not more
than one hundred persons, including men, women,
and children, yet at their encampment more than
thirty lodges were pitched, each of which would ac-
commodate at least twelve adult persons.

It is an opinion generally credited, that the In-
dians are possessed of strong natural appetites for
ardent spirits, but there is at least room to doubt of
its being well-founded. That the appetites for them
are often strong and ungovernable is very certain ;
but they may be considered as factitious rather than
natural, having been created by occasional indulgen-
cies in the use of intoxicating liquors. Instances are
not rare in which Indians have refused to accegt
liquor when offered them. After a long abstinence
from food, any thing calculated to allay the cravings
of the appetite is eagerly swallowed, and on such
occasions nothing perhaps produces such an effect
more speedily than spirituous liquors. . Indians, while
lounging about a trading establishment, are often
destitute of food for a considerable time, and can
obtain no other kind of refreshment from the trader
but liquor, which is bestowed partly in exchange for
commodities they may have to dispose of, and partly
by way of encouraging them to return to him wkn
the products of their next hunt. A small draught, on
such occasions, produces intoxication, and the sudden

255

transition from a state of gnawing hunger to that of
unconcerned inebriety cannot fail to make them
passionately fond of a beverage that can thus change
their condition so much to their immediate satisfac-
tion. In their use qf ardent spirits, the Indians
appear to be less captivated witli their taste than
with their exhilarating effects. The quality of liquor
is not a subject of discrimination with them ; provided
it has sufficient strength to inebriate they are satis-
fied, let its character in other respects be what it may.
Having contracted the habit of intoxication, they
seldom appear thankful for liquor, unless it has been
bestowed in such quantities as are sufficient to produce
that efiect

In the indulgence of their appetites they display
but few or no traits of epicurism, choosing those kinds
of food that are most nutritive, without regarding their
taste or flavour. In the preservation of their food,
no pains are taken to render it savoury or palatable ;
theu* object is solely to reduce it to a state of security
against putrefaction. They make no use of spices or
other aromatics, either ii> preserving or cooking their
food. Even salt is not considered as an essential,
and is seldom used as an appendage in their cookery.
Tliis article is only prized by them on account of
its usefulness for their horses. In regard to their
choice of food, however, and manner of cooking it,
the small variety within their reach, and the imprac-
ticability of obtaining condiments of different kinds,
perhaps renders them less particular in these respects,
than they would be under different circumstances.
It cannot be supposed that they are entirely in-
sensible to dainties of every description j on the con-
triary, they appear remarkably fond of sugar and
sa.ccharine fruits.

They appear to have a natural propensity for the
fumes of tobacco, which they invariably inhale into
the lungs, and eject through the nostrils. They make
no use of this article except in smoking, which is an

256

indulgence of which they are exceedingly reluctant
to be deprived. When they cannot obtain tobacco,
they use as a substitute the dried leaves of the sumac,
the inner bark of the red willow dried, and the leaves
and bark of a few other shrubs, the fumes of which
are less stimulating, but equally as palatable as those
of tobacco.

The Indians under consideration know not the
use or value of the precious metals, except as trinkets
or ornaments for tneir dress. They use wampum,
and in some few instances shells of a small size and
of a particular character, as a substitute for money.
But in general furs, peltries, horses, and various
articles of dress at standing or fixed rates of barter,
are the immediate objects, both of internal and ex-
ternal trade. They do not hold their property in
common^ but each mdividual enjoys the fruit of his
own toil and industry. They are accounted more
or less wealthy according to the number of horses
they are possessed of, and the style in which they
are able to dress.

Polygamy is common amongst them, every man
being allowed to have as many wives as he can moun-
tain. Marriages are binding upon the parties only
as long as they think proper to live together, and are
often contracted for a limited term particularly
specified. Females, during the periods of their cata-
menia, are excluded from society^ and compelled
even to sleep apart from their families, in small tents
or lodges constructed for their use.

Dancing is common amongst them, both as a devo-
tional exercise and an amusement. Their gestures
on both occasions are similar, except that on the
former they are accompanied by solemnity, and on
the latter by cheerfulness ; and are characterized by
extraordinary uncouthness, rather than by graceful-
ness. No ribaldry, however, or tricks of bufibonery
are practised on these occasions ; on the contrary,
their deportment is uniformly accordant with their

2.57

ideas of decorum. This exercise is invariably
, accompanied by singing, or a kind of chanting, in
which the women, who are usually excluded from
a participation in the former, perform their part.
Their music consists in a succession of tones of equal
intervals, accompanied by occasional elevations and
depressions of the voice. The modulations with
wmch it is variegated are by no means melodious ;
the voices of all the chanters move in unison, and all
appear . to utter the same aspirations. The same
^series of sounds appears to be common to the chant-
inffjof all the tribes.

The foregoing are among the most common fea-
tures in the general character of the western Indians.
Although in a region so extensive as that inhabited
by them, and amongst so great a variety of tribes and
nations, a considerable diversity of character is to be
expected and admitted^ yet it is believed that the
traits above considered are common to the whole, as
a race of barbarians. And although the shades of
barbarism in which they are enveloped uniformly
exclude the light of civilization, yet it is not to be
presumed that they are equally dark and malignant
in all cases.

OF THE MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, AND OHIO RIVERS.

I trust it will not be deemed improper on this
occasion^ to offer a few remarks upon the character
of these rivers, embracing more particularly the con-
dition of their navigation.

r The causes heretofore alleged as giving occasion
to a diversity of soil within the valleys of the western
rivers, have an effect also in giving character to their
channels or beds. For example : the banks near the
mouths of the rivers, being composed of a fine unctu-
ous and adhesive alluvion, are less liable to crumble
and wash away, and constitute a , more permanent
barrier to resist the force of the current, than those

VOL. Ill, s

258

Iftigfaer upf that are composed of coarser materials.
In consequence, the beds of the rivers are rendered
narrower and deeper towards their mouths than at
greater distances above them. This is more parti-
culariy the case with the Mississippi, Red, Arkansa^
and some others, whose beds or channels gradually
dilate, and become more shoal on ascending from
their mouths. Thus it happens also, that the naviga-
tion of the Mississippi has fewer obstructions between
Natches and its mouth tlfan above this part of the
river, having so great a depth of water, that mags»
bars, &c are sunk below the reach of any kind of
water-crafl employed in its navigation. From
Natches upward to its confluence with the Missouri,
the river presents impediments that become more
and more numerous and difficult to pass. Still, how-
ever, the main channel, though intricate in many
S laces, affords a sufficient depth of water in all stages
>r boats of five or six feet draft to ascend to the
mouth of the Ohio. From this point to the Missouri,
a distance of more than two hundred and twenty
miles, the navigation is partially obstructed, during a
very low stage of the water, by shoals, so that it is
navigable only for boats of moderate burthen, requir-
ing but about three feet of water. At the distance
ef about thirty miles above the mouth of the Ohio
there are two rocky bars extending across the Missis-
sippi, called the Big and Little Chains, which in the
deepest channel across them ^brd no more than fiye
or SIX feet of water in a low stage, and occasion a
great rapidity of current. The Mississippi is usually
at its lowest stage about the middle of August, the
summer freshet of the Missouri having subsided pre-
viously to that time. It usually continues in this
stage till it is swollen by the fall freshet of the Ohio,
after which it subsides again, and remains low during
the winter. The distance from New Orleans to the
mouth of the Missouri is estimated at about twelve
hundred miles j its current in the main channel of

259

the liver is supposed to have an average velocity of
three miles and tliree quarters per hour^ in a moderate
«t9ge of the water ; out wlien the river 19 high its
velocity is cpnsiderably accelerated* Its water is
tuifiiid, )b<E|wg charged with a fine argillaceous mud^
^f a light i^plour, derived exclusively from th^
Mifisouri*

The 3^$ouri is a very wild and turbulent river,
Jposgessing the ruder features of the Mississippi, but
desti^pte of t}ie gentleness characteristic of the latteif
In.m^y.places* The obstruc^ons to the navigation
of th^ Missouri, although they are of the same
cfa^ac^er ^prith those of the Mississippi, are far more
^i.uqfterou^ luid formidable than those of the latter
The chf^iuiei 13 rendered exceedingly intricate by
ineans of s^4-bar$ and isl^ds, and the navigation
jui maay places is very hazardous^ on account of
(the rmjidtiplicity of rs^fts, gi^gs, . sand-bars, &c«.
xtir|i^ wllich the channel is beset. No part of th^
l^ver jB (ex;empt irpm these obstructions for any
<^<>|l9idera]b^e distance, particularly when the water

i&jiow*

AsthM I'iver in cpnne?cion with Bome of its principal "
l^ributiui^s triaver3es a tonsklerable variety pfclimates^
fir^hndiXkg mqre th^n ten degrees of latitude, a suc-
jiQes^pp of spring freshets inyari^bly t^K^s place, and
mi^nt^ins an elev^t^d stage of water from the break-
ing up of -winter early in March, to thp middle, and
QOmetiqies the last of Julyt wheiirthe {summer freshet^
yjielded.by ihe most nprtherly %f its tributaries, takes
place. P^iiUig this period ti^re is a sufficient depth
to adinjt bmts of mmost any burthen; but during
tl\e r^idtie pf the ye^r it.q^n hftrdly be called navi-

fabl?, i^xQept §>r bo^ts drawing no jnore than twenty-
ve or ithirty ipch^a. The riv^r i& usually blpcked
tip yrith ice duripg the vrint^r 3^ason. The average
velocity of it3 current, in a middling stage of
water, may bp e^tim^ted at four miles and one
third* In time of a high freshet it moves with an

' sg

260

accelerated velocity, equal to five or five and half
miles per hour.

The Ohio river^ as before hinted, difiers from
those just described, in the rapidity of its current,
the width of its bed, the character , of its channel^
and in several other respects ; but as its general
character is well known, a few remarks in relation
to it will here suffice. The obstructions to its
navigation are sand-bars, some few rafts and mags^
and rapids, to which the intricacy of its channel
in several places may be added. During a middle
and high stage of water, the obstructions entirely
disappear, and an accelerated current is the only
difficulty to be encountered. The average velocity
of the current, in a moderate stage of water, may
be estimated at two miles and a half, and in a
high stage, at three miles per hour. The season
in which the navigation of the Ohio can be relied
on, commences between the middle of February
and first of March, and continues to the latter part
of June. A fall freshet usually takes place in Ogt
tober or November, and the river is again naviga-
ble for a few weeks. During the rest of the year,
boats of inconsiderable burthen meet with numerous
obstructions in their progress from the lowness of
the water, and in many places no channel can be
found of sufficient depth to admit their passage.
At the distance of about seventeen miles irom its
mouth is the first serious obstruction to its navi-
gation, consisting o# a lime-stone bar extending
across the river, denominated the B^ Chain* Three
miles above is another of a similar descrmtion. The
range of rocks, of which these appear tone a portion^
seems to extend across the point of land situated
between the Ohio and Mississippi, jpresenting itrfelf
agaui on the latter, at the Big and Little Chwis be-
fore mentioned. The falls of the Ohio at>L0uisville
are impassable for boats of burdien, except in the
higher stages of the wat*r. Le' Turt's Falls, and

261

numerous other rapids, denominated ripples, are also
impassable for boats of heavy burthen when the
river is at its lowest stages. In this state the river
is ibrdable in numberless places.

OF THE GREAT VALLEY OR BASIN OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

This. vast region, embracing more than twenty
d^ees of latitude and about thirty of longitude,
almough it has been explored in various directions
by men of intelligence, is yet but imperfectly
known ; and probably no country in the world
aflfords a more ample or interesting field for phUo*
spphic investigation. A thorough acquaintance
with, its geological character would in all proba-
bility lead to the most important conclusions in
forming a correct theory of the earth, while a
knowledge of its vegetable and mineral productions
may be conducive to the comforts and enjoyments
of a large portion of the human family. All we
shall presume to ofier under this copious head, will
be. a few general remarks relative to the position
and confrnmation of the valley, grounded almost
exclusively upon the hydrography of the country,
so far as it has come under our observation.

The valley is bounded on the west by the Rocky
Mountains, on the east and south-east by the Ai^
leghanies, and on the south by the Gulf of Mexico.
To the northward, no precise limits can be as-
signed as its boundary. Although many have sup-
posed that the waters of the Mississippi are sepa-
rated from those running north-westwardly into the
Pacific Ocean, and north-eastwardiy into the At-
lantic, by a mountainous range of country, yet, from
the best information that can be had on the subject,^
the iact is quite otherwise. The old and almost for-*
gotten ^t^tjBment of savage origin, viz. that '^' four"
of the largest rivers, pn the continent have their
purees }ti the same plain,'' is entitled to jar more.

sS

«62

credit. The rivers alluded to are the Missis^ppiy
the St. Lawrence, the Saskashawin, and th^ Or^^
or M'Kenzie's river. Agreeably to die aceoitnts of
Colonel Dixon and others who have traveJB^ the
country situated between the Mis30uri and the
AssinaboiUy a branch of Red river of Hudson's Bay,
no elevated ridge is to be met with ; but, on the con-
trary, tributaries to both these streams take their rise
in the sanife champaign, and wind their tray in vsLrions
directions to their far distant estuaries^ Judging
from the maps that have been given of the coi&tr)^
near the sources of the Misi^ssippi^ and of the teghn
generally sitdated n<»thwardly of the great lakes, «&
also from the accounts of various travefierS' who have
penetrated many parts of those countries, tbe same
remarks appear equally applicable to a large |)ortioQ
of the whole. The watercourses are represent^ ^s
chains of lakes of various magnitudes, while lalkes and
stagnant pools are scattered in almost every dir^ctidD,
without ridges or perceptible declivities to sliow the
direction in which they are drained. But We forbear
to enlarge on this subject, and beg leave tbut refers*
ence may be had to Bouchette's map of the regient 6f
which we have just been treating, as a doctilfient
containing ample illustrations of our opifiioli. H^iice
it will be inferred that the vsilley of the Missiitoippi is
merely a portion of an immetise region of ViHiley or
flat country, extending from the Gulf of Meidco
northeastwardly to the Atlantic, and notth^wei^t^
wardly to the Pacific Ocean.

Within the valley or region drained by the Missis^
sippi, are situated no less than three distinct tadgiea
of mountainous country, the localities of which we wilj
attempt to point out. The first and most consid^*abk
is a range of mountains commencing Within the
Spanish province of Texas, and stretching in a north-
eastward direction, till it is terminated by the tigh
lands on the lower part of the Missoiiri river* To
this range we have giv^ii the name of the Oatk

6-

263

Mountains^ an appellation by which the Arkai^sa rtver
was formerly distin^ished, as also the tribe of
Indians, since denominated the Quawpaws, inhabiting
liear that river. Its direction is nearly parallel to that
of the Alleghanies. Its peaks and ridges are le^
elevated than those of the latter, and do not present
the same regularity in their arrangement. The second
is denominated the Black Hills, commencing on the
South or Padouca fork of the * river Platte, at the
distance of about one hundred miles eastward of the
Rocky Mountains, and stretching north-eastwardly
towards the great northerly bend of the Missouri. CJf
this range very little is yet known ; and the fact that
there is such a range is partially substantiated by the
concurrent testimony of the traders and hunters of
the Missouri, with whom it is a noted landmark, but
it is more fully corroborated by the hydrography of
the country, as may be shown by the map.

The third is a range of hilly and broken country,
commencing on the Wisconsan near the Portage,
and extending northwardly to Lake Superior. To
this range we have taken the liberty to give the
name ot the Wisconsan Hills. The Ocooch and
Smokey Mountains before mentioned, are connected
with this range. In its geological character, and
more especially in its metallic productions, so far as
our inquiry will enable us to decide, it appears
nearly allied to the Ozark Mountains, and circum*>
stances are not wanting to induce the opinion, that
they were once the same continuous range. Dr.
James is decidedly of opinion, that the metalliferous
region of the Mississippi, which extends from Red
river to Lake Superior in the direction of these two
ranges, strongly indicates that a continuous range,
as just hinted, once had an existence.

The Mississippi river may be regarded as occupy-
ing the lowest part of the valley, from its great estuary,
the Qiilf of Mexico, to its confluence with the
Missouri and Illinois. Thence to Lake Michigan,

s 4

266

limit of perpetual snow/' as estimated by M. De
Humboldt for the latitude of 40 degrees, viz. 9846
feet above the ocean, we find the summit of the
Peak 1654 feet higher than that elevation; and judg-
ing frorn appearances, this difference of altitude
seemed sufficiently well marked by the distance to
which the snow extended from the summit downw^rd^
upon the sides of the Peak, to authenticate in a
good degree the calculation above stated*

The foregoing report is intended as a civil rather
than a military description of the country. For a

I)artial description of its military features, I bc^
eave to refer to my report of the 12th May, 1818,
to Brigadier General T. A. Smith, on file in the War
Department.

In the performance of topographical duties I have
been aided by Lieutenants Graham and Swifl^ who
have rendered essential service in these and other
operations. The former of these gentlemen is at
present occupied in completing the calculations
upon the various astronomical and other observations
we took in connexion with our duties ; the latter
is engaged in delineating the surveys made in behalf
of the expedition.

The services of Captain Bell are to be recognized
as highly important and useful to the expedition,
in keeping a journal of our proceedings, and con*
ducting detached parties whenever an occasion
required. He is now busily engaged in revising his
journal, a copy of which will soon be in readiness
to be disposed of agreeably to your instructions.
. The duties in the various departments of natural
science were discharged with zeal and ability by
Mr. Say and Dr. James, assisted by Mr. Peale,
who was active and industrious in the collection
and preservation of such rare specimens of animals,
&c.^ as came under our observation. The vessel oot
bocord of which most of these specimens were shipped

207

from New Orleans, has very lately arrived in this
port, and discharged our packages in good order.
I take this opportunity to express my acknowledge-
ments of the politeness of her owners, Messrs. Price
and Morgan, who have kindly franked the trans-
portation of the collections. A catalogue, embrac-
ing the zoology of the country explored by us, is
shortly expected from Mr. Say, and shall be for-
warded by the earliest opportunity. Dr. James has
been instructed also to furnish a mineralogical and
botanical catalogue, which is daily expected. Both
of these are intended as accompaniments to this
report.

Mr. Seymour has taken numerous landscape views,
exhibiting the characteristic features of various parts
of the country, besides many others of detached
scenery.

A map of the country situated between the meri-
dian of Washington City and the Rocky Mountains,
shall be reported as soon as the necessary elements
and data can be compiled and the drawings exe^
guted.

I have the honour to be. Sir,
most respectfully.
Your obedient and humble Servant,

S. H. LONG,
Major U. S. Engineers.

JJonourable J. C. Calhoun^
Secretary of War.

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OBSERVATIONS

ON

THE MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY

or
A PART OF THE UNITED STATES

WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

Extracted from a Report to Major Long.

OBSERVATIONS, &c.*

The fallowing remarks are designed to give a sum-
maty and connected viewof the facts and observations
collected during the progress of the exploring expedi-
tion, relative to the geology and mineralogy of the se-
veral regions traversed by the party, more particularly
of the Rocky Mountains, and the western portions of
the great valley of the Mississippi. In an attempt of
this kind, some difficulty arises from the unsettled
and progressive condition of geognostic science. A
nomenclature, constructed upon principles applicable
to the other branches of natural history, has been
extended to this. Attempts have been made to de-
fine classes, orders, genera, and species of rocks ;
while it must be acknowledged, that the inventors of
systems have hitherto failed to point out such infallible
foundations for distinction of character as exist in the
animal and vegetable kingdoms. Among minerals,
from one extreme of the series to the other, there is a
constant transition of approximating aggregates into
each other. The particles of unorganized matter, being
exempt from the influence of those peculiar law»
which regulate the forms and characters of living

* The R^ort from whicb these obser?ations are detracted
was drawn up at Smithiand, Kentucky, in JaQuary, 1B20, soon after
the return of the exfdoring party from the iRocky Mountains*
Since that time^ opportunities have been wanting to supply the
deficiency of study and c(Mnparison, for which &t place, remote
fremjall oollections of books and mmeittlst did notaffi>rd the means.
We may beallowedto mention these circumstances in extenuation
of our apparent neglect of many recent innovations in geology,
and of some late works> with which we had not the opportunity to
be Acquainted.

272

beings, and moving in obedience only to the impulses
of attraction and affinity, airange themselves together
not always in an invariable order, and after a per-
manent and unalterable type, but are variously inter-
mixed and confounded, as circumstances may have
variously influenced their aggregation. Definitions,
it must be acknowledged, have been constructed,
strictly applicable to particular portions of matter,
which may occur under similar circumstances in re-
mote quarters of the globe. Fragments of granite
may be found in the Rocky Mountains of America
which could not be distinguished from the granite of
Egypt, such as is seen in our collections. These defi-
nitions, then, may be sufficient for the purposes of the
naturalist ^ho confines his inquiries to his cabinet ;
but when examinations are extended, when we ap-
proach the imaginary limits of these artificial divi-
sions, we not uncommonly find ourselves deserted by
our boasted distinctions and definitions. It must be
evident to any person in the slightest degree fami-
liarized to the examination of the rocky materials
composing the earth's surface, that between any two
of the contiguous artificial divisions there is often-
times no definite and discoverable boundary. Gra-
nite must cpnsist essentially of felspar, quartz, and
mica ; so must gneiss and mica-slate ; and between
the two former, it is often extremely difficult to
point out the line which shall be considered as mark-
ing the termination of the one and the commence-
ment of the other. It will, we think, be acknow-
ledged, that not one of the names applied to rocks,
as constituting extensive strata, conveys of itself a
definite and satisfactory idea. Hence the necessity
which is felt, in attempting to give a detailed account
of the rock formations of any particular district, to de«
fine the names in almost every instance of their appli-
cation. If the following remarks should on this account
seem faulty, by a certain monotony and appearance of

27«

repetition, we hope there are a few, who, for the sake
of the facts detailed, will excuse any want of precision
in the language which may have necessarily resulted
from the unsettled condition of the nomenclature.

No part of the earth, it is probable, presents a
greater degree of simplicity and uniformity in the
structure and conformation of its surface than
North America. The mountain ranges are here
distinct, forming each its own particular system, and
preserving severally, through their whole extent, a
similarity in external appearance, as well as in the
structure and aggregation of the various rocks of
which they are composed.

The outlines of a physical delineation of the con-
tinent of North America would present, first, the
great chain of the Rocky Mountains, evidently a
continuation of the Andes of the southern hemi-
sphere, stretching parallel to the direction of the
western coast from the isthmus of Panama to the-
northern ocean. Their summits penetrating far into^
the regions of perpetual winter, look down upon the
va3t plains of the Mississippi and its tributaries ; in
which we distinguish a comparatively .inconsiderable
range of rocky hills, commencing near the confluence
of the Missouri and Mississippi, and running south-
west of the Gulf of Mexico, near the estuary of the
Rio del Norte. Beyond these, the surface subsides
to a plain, stretching eastward to the commencement;
of the great chain of the AUeghanies. The range of
the AUeghanies, far less elevated and alpine than that
of the Rocky Mountains, traverses the continent in a
direction nearly parallel to the Atlantic ocean, from ^
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on the north-east, to the
confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers, in
the south-west. Compared to the Rocky Moun-
tains, this range is without summits, presenting, in- ^
stead of conic peaks, long and level ridges, rising in
no point to the inferior limit of perpetual frost, and-
scarce in any instance reaching that degree of

VOL.111. T^

274

elevation which is incompatible with the growth of

forests.

In many particulars there is a manifest resem-
blance between the AUeghanies, and the compara-
tively inconsiderable group known by the name of
the Ozark mountains. They are parallel in direction,
making an angle of about forty degrees with the
great range of the Andes. They agree in hiaving
their most elevated portions made up of rocks of
recent formation. It is well known, that, from the
highly primitive gneiss rock at Philadelphia, there is
a gradual ascent, across strata more and more recent,
to the rocks of the coal formation, about the summit
of the AUeghanies. Whether the same thing happens
in every part of the range, our examinations have not
yet been extensive enough to decide. We know that
some of the granitic mountains of New England are
far surpassed in elevation by the neighbouring hills
and ridges of mica slate, talcose rocks^ or even mcH'e
recent aggregates.

In the Ozark mountains, as far as they have
been hitherto explored, the granites und more ancient
rocks are found at the lowest parts, being sunnonnted
by those of a more recent date, the newest horizontal
sandstone, and strata of compact limestone, forming
the highest summits. What we wish to remark is,
that the reverse of this being the case with the
Rocky Mountains, the granite there far surpassing,
both in extent and elevation, all the other aggregates
forming the central and higher portions of all the
ridges, that range has a character very distinct
from the Ozark or Alleghany mountains.

It has been suggested by Major Long, that the
hydrography of the upper portion of the Missouri
seems to indicate the exisrijence of a mountain range,'
approaching that river from the south,.west, near the

freat northern bend, in the country of the Mandans.
'rom Lewis and Clarke we have alto some aceojunts
tending to the oon&mation of this opmi(^. Furthei^

^5

exidttiination may perhaps prove this third range,
called the Black hills, to resemble in direction and
geileral character the Alleghany and Ozark moun-
tains. The Rocky Mountains have not inaptly been
called the backbone of the continent : these three
lateral ranges, going off at an angle of about fbrty
degrees, may with equal propriety be called the ribs.
In latitude 38** north, the eastern base of the Rocky
Mountains is found to be in about 106** west longi-
tude : following the same parallel of latitude eastward,
you arrive at the base of the Ozark inountains, nearly
in longitude 94°. The intervening space, occupying
the extent of near twelve degrees of longitude, is a
inde and desolate plain, destitute of timber ; scorched
in sumimer by the reverberation of the rays of the
siih, howled over in winter by the frozen West winds
from the Rocky Mountains.

Though we have assumed twelve degrees of longi-
tude as the medium width of this great plain, it is to
be remarked, that to many parts of it our examin-
ations have not been extended. In the latitude of
41*, no mountain, and scarce an elevaition deserving
the name of a hill, occurs between the western range
of the Alleghanies and the Rocky Mountains. But
at ho great distance north of this parallel, low ranges
of fiills begin to appear in the region south-west of
Lake Michigan ; and though too inconsiderable iii
point of elevation to deserve particular nbtice, still
they exhibit peculiar characters, which seem £6 de-
sigildte an intimate connection with the Ozaxk mouti-^
tains, south of the Missouri. The same succession
of strata, the same alternation of crystalline beds, with
th6$e of mechanical depoisition, arid similar deposi-
tories of metallic ores, are observed here, as in the
regioh's about the Meramieg atfd St. Francis. A
marked difference iis also, as we think, to be dis-
covered between tbe rocks and soils oil the different'
sides of this range. Of this we shall speak more

T 2

276

particularly in another place. For our present pur-
pose, it is sufficient to assume as a boundary of the
region we propose first to consider, a line running
from the confluence of the Arkansa and Canadian
rivers on the south-west, to the junction of the Mis-
sissippi and Wisconsan, on the north-east. Assuming
this as the direction of the range of the Ozark moun-
tains, it will be perceived, by examining the map,
that to the north-west of this line spreads an ex-
tensive plain, reaching to the base of the Rocky
Mountains. This plain has been crossed in three
different places by the exploring party, as already
detailed in our narrative ; once in ascending by the
River Platte, between latitude 40'' and 41"* 30';
again, in descending the Arkansa, in 38"^; and,
thirdly, by the route of the Canadian, in 34**. To
the information collected in these journeys, we have
added a little from other sources ; but the greater
part of this extensive region yet remains unknown.

Of the Great Desert at the base of the Rocky Moun-
tains.

The portion of country which we design to con-
sider under this division has an average width of five
or six hundred miles, extending along the base of
the Rocky Mountains from north to south : as far as
we have any acquaintance with that range, consist-
ing entirely of granitic sands, or of secondary aggre-
gates made up of the detritus of that great chain of
primitive mountains, there seems to be a degree of
propriety in designating it by some name recognising
relation to those mountains. It has been mentioned
aS; the " Mexican desert ;" a name sufficiently ap-
plicable, perhaps, to some portions of it, but one
by no rneans "to be extended to every part alike, as
there can be little doubt of its occupying an extensive

277

portion of the interior of North America. That a
similar desert region exists on the western side of
the mountains, we have sufficient evidence ; but
whether as uninterrupted and as extensive, we have
not the means of determining.

The Jesuit Venegas, speaking of the early history of
California, says " Father Kino and his companions,
after travelling thirty leagues from San. Marcelo,
came to a small rancheria (Indian village); and
leaving on the north the great mountain of Santa
Clara, whose sides, for the length of a league,
are covered with pumice-stone, they arrived at the
Sandy Waste^ on the 19th of March." Our inform-
ation is, however, too limited to justify an attempt
to fix the boundaries of this desert ; we will, there-
fore, content ourselves with communicating the
observations our opportunities have enabled us to
make.

The channel of the Missouri, near the mouth of
the Platte, discloses here and there rocks of horizon-
tal limestone ; which, from their peculiar character,
we are disposed to consider as belonging rather to
the Ozarks, than having any connection with the
Rocky Mountains. These rocks appear at the lowest
parts of the valleys, and are usually surmounted by
extensive beds of soil, consisting principally of flinty
sand in the most minute state of division, but variously
intermixed with the remains of organized beings, and
sometimes with calcareous and aluminous earth; Pro-
ceeding westward, the sand becomes deeper and
more unmixed ; not a rock or a stone, in place or out
of place, is to be met with for some hundreds of
miles. It is believed that no rocky bluffs appear
along the valley of the Platte, within three hundred
miles of its mouth, though a small part of this dis-
tance, on the lower portion of the river, has not
hitherto been explored. The surface is not an abso-
lute plain, but is varied with gentle undulations, such

T 3

278

as the draining of water, from an immense table of a
light arenaceous earth, for a succession of centurie3»
may be supposed to have occasioned. The gradual in-
termixture of the exuviae of animals and vegetables,
with what was formerly a pure siliceous sand* has at
length produced a sfoil capable of supporting a scanty
growth of grasses ; now almost the only covering of
these desolate regions. Scales of ipica, little parti-
cles of brownish felspar, and minute fragtpents of
hornblende, may here be detected in the soil.

About four hundred miles west pf the moufii of
the Platte, a low range of sandstone hills crosses the
country from south-west to north-east. The strata
comppsing these hills have no perceptible iqclination,
and present appearances which indicate their de-
position to have been, nearly contemporaneous to
that of many of our coal formations, j^t has alreadiy;
been suggested that this range may probably be a
continuation of the Cotes Noir, or Black hills, said
to contain the sources of the Shienne, the Little Mis-
souri, and some branches of the Yellow Stone. *

These inconsiderable hills being passed, the surface
again subsides nearly to a plam. The fine and
comparatively fertile sand which prevailed to the
east of the ranges, is exchanged for a gravel made
up of rounded granitic fragments, varying in dimen-
sions from the size of a six-pound shot tp finish sand^
This great mass of granitic fragments, evidently
brought down by the agency of water from the sides
and summits of the Andes, slopes, gradually from
their base, appearing, as far as examinations have
etxtended, to correspond in some measure, in mag-
nitude, to the elevation and extent of that part of
the mountains opposite which it is pUced. The
minute particles derived from the quartzy portions
of the primitive aggregates, being lea^t liable to d[&-
coi^ppsition, have been carried to the gre^f;estr disr

* Lewis and Clarke's History, vol. i. p. 83. Philadelphia, 1814.

279

tance, and now form the almost unmixed soil of the
eastern margin of the great sandy desert. The central
portions are of a coarser sand, with which some par-
ticle of felspar and mica are intermixed : nearer the
mountains, pebbles and boulders become frequent, and
at length almost cover the surface of the country.

The opinion above advanced, that the great sandy
desert has resulted from the wearing down of the
mountains, both before and since the retiring of the
ocean, should, perhaps, be received with some caution.
We have no foundation for the belief, but in the
examinations which enabled us to discover that the
materials composing both regions are similar in kind ;
that the granitic soils of the plain are precisely such
as would result from the disintegration of the rocks
now existing in the mountains ; and that the numer*
ous deep ravines and water-worn valleys traversing
the mountains in various directions, indicate the
change here supposed to have happened.

• It is probable many parts of this extensive desert
may differ from that traversed by the Platte, in hav-
ing the surface more or less covered with horizontal
strata of sandstone and conglomerate, instead of
loose sand and pebbles. Indeed, there are many
appearances indicating that a formation of this kind
formerly extended down the Platte much farther than
at present. From the minute account given in the
narrative of the expedition, of the particular features
of this region, it will be perceived that its eastern
portions bear a manifest resemblance to the deserts
of Siberia. The soils, and I believe the rocks^
wJierever any occur, are saline: plants allied to
chenopodium and salsola are peculiarly abundant,
as are the astragali and other herbaceous leguminae }
while trees and forests are almost unknown.

The surface of the sandy plain rises perceptibly
towards the base of the mountains ; and becoming
constantly more and more undulating, is at lengtii
brokeDy msclosing some cli£b and ledges of micaceous-

T 4

280

sandstone* Near the Platte this sandstone occurs in
horizontal strata, sometimes divided by the beds of
the streams, and forming low ridges parallel to the
Rocky Mountains. Whether they continue in an
uninterrupted line along the base of the mountains,
we have not been able to ascertain. They are sepa-
rated from the first range of primitive, by more
elevated cliffs of a similar sandstone, having its strata
in a highly inclined position. Behind these, occur
lofty but uninterrupted ranges of naked rocks, des-
titute of any covering of earthy or vegetable matter,
and standing nearly perpendicular. At a distant
view, they present to the eye the forms of walls,
towers, pyramids, and columns, seeming rather the
effects of the most laborious efforts of art, than the
productions of nature. When surveyed from the
more elevated summits of the first granitic range,
these immense strata of sandstone standing on edge,
and sometimes inclining at various angles towards
the primitive, resemble the plates of ice often seen
thrown into a vertical position in the eddies and
along the banks of rivers.

Climbing to the summits of such of these elevations
as are accessible, and crossing their stratifications to-
wards the primitive, we observe appearances similar
to those found in the valleys, when circumstances
enable us to push our inquiries to a corre^onding
extent below the surface. Having crossed the up-
turned margin of the whole secondary formation which
occupies the plain, and arriving at the primitive, we
find these highly inclined strata of sandstone repos-
ing immediately against the granite. We search in
vain for any traces of those rocks distinguished by
the Wernerians as rocks of the transition period.
We also observe an entire deficiency of all those primi-
tive strata which the doctrine of universal formations
may have taught us to look for in approaching the
^granite.

The sandstone along the base of the mountains^

281

though apparently not very recent, contains the
remains of marine animals and plants, and embraces
some extensive beds of puddingstone. It may be
remarked that the sand and gravel composing these
aggregates have in general the same close resem-
blance to the materials of the granitic mountains, as
we have already observed in the uncemented mate-
rials of the plain. Indeed, it does not seem easy to
determine whether the sands, gravel-stones, and peb-
bles, now loosely strewed over the extensive plains
of the desert, have been brought down immediately
from the granitic mountains whence they were
originally derived, or have resulted from the dis-
integration of the stratified sandstone and con-
glomerates deposited during a' long series of ages,
while the waters of the ocean rested upon the
great plain, and washed the bases of the Rocky
Mountains. The very wide and equal distribution
of these sands, in other words, the very gradual slope
of the debris of the mountain, would seem to coun-
tenance the latter supposition.

The position of the strata of sandstone varies in
the distance of a few miles from nearly horizontal to
an inclination of more than sixty degrees, and that
without any very manifest change of character, or
the interposition of any other stratum. The laminse
most distant from the primitive, occupying the eastern
sides of the first elevations, though lowest in actual
elevation, may with propriety be considered the
uppermost, as resting on those beyond. At the
level of the surface of the great plain, they sink
beneath the alluvial ; and in the neighbourhood of
the river Platte, they are no more seen. The upper-
most are of a yellowish-gray colour ; moderately fine ;
compact and hard ; constantly varying, however, at
different points, in colour as well as most other
characters. The light-coloured varieties usually
contain small round masses about the size of a mus-
ket-ball^ tivhich are more friable than the rock itself.

382

from which they are easily detached, leaving cavities
corresponding to their own shape and dimensions.
They are commonly of a dark-brown colour, and of a
coarser sand than that which constitutes the rock
itself. Where these are found, I could never dis-
cover any of those remains of shellfish so distinctly
seen in many of the secondary rocks in this neigh-
bourhood.

Passing downwards, or in other words, proceeding
towards the primitive, crossing the edge of the
secondary, the sandstone becomes more coarse and
friable, its colour inclining more to several shades of
brown and red. This variety contains numerous
masses of iron ore, and does not appear to abound in
the remains or impressions of organized beings. It is
also less distinctly stratified than that just mentioned;
and it often becomes exceedingly coarse, with angular
fragments intermixed, being in no respect difierent
from the rock denominated breccia, and by some
geologists considered a distinct stratum*

This tract of sandstone^ which skirt3 the eastern
boundary of the Rocky Mountains, and appears to
belong to that immense secondary formation which
occupies the valley of the Mississippi, abounds in
scenery of a grand and interesting character. The
angle of inclination of the strata often approaches
90°, and is very rarely less than 45*^. That side of
the ridges next the primitive appears to have beea
broken off from a part of the stratum beyond; and is
usually an abrupt and perpendicular precipice, some-
times even overhanging and sheltering a consider-
able extent of surface. The face of th^ stratum is
usually smooth and hard, and both sides are alike
destitute of soil: and verdure. Elevations of this
description are met with, varying from twenty to
several thousand fqet in thickness ; neither are they
by any means uniform in height. Some of them rise,
probably, three hundred or four hundred &et; and
Qonaidemg thqij; Angular obariacter,. woul4^ appaar

383

high, were they not subjected to an immediate and
disadvantageous comparison with the stupendous
Andes, at whose feet they are placed. Their summits
in some instances are regular and horizontal, and are
crowned with a scanty growth of cedar and pine.
Where the cement and most of the materials of the
sandstone are siliceous, the rock evinces a tendency
to break into fragments of a rhombic form ; and in
this case the elevated edge presents an irregularly
notched or serrated surface.

Sandstones consisting of silex, with the least inter*
mixture of foreign ingredients, are the mo^ durable.
But in the region of which we speak, the variations
in the composition, cement, and characters of the
sandstone, are innumerable. Clay and oxide of iron
entering into its composition in certain proportions^
seem to render it unfit to withstand the attacks of
the various agents, whose effect is to hasten dissar
lution and decay. Highly elevated rocks of this
description may well be supposed in a state of rapid
and perceptible change. The sharp angles and asper-
ities of surface which they may have originally pre-
sented, are soon worn away ; the matter constantly
removed by the agency of water from their sides
and summits is deposited at their feet ; their eleva-
tion gradually diminishes, and even the inclination of
their strata becomes at length obscure or wholly uur
discoverably. Thi^ appears to have been a part of
t^p procesa by which numerous conic hills^ and
ippun(}si have been interspersed among the highly
inclined naked rocks above mentioned. These hills,
oAqn clothed with considerable verdure to their
summitst, add^greatly to the beauty of the surrpunding
scenery. The contrast of coloura in this rude but
majestic region, is oflen seen to produce the most
brilliant and grateful effects. The deep green of
the; small and almost procumbent cedars . and jiunir
P^3t, witJ), the less intense colours of varipu^ species

384

placed as a margin to the glowing red and yellow
seen in the surfaces of many of the rocks.

Of the Sandstones of the Rocky Mountains.

Having commenced our account of the Rocky
Mountains with the consideration of that vast accu-
mulation of rounded fragments constituting the
Great Desert, which may be reckoned the most recent
formation connected with that great range of moun-
tains, we proceed to speak of the sandstones, the next
member in the inverted order we have adopted ; and
here we take occasion to remark the peculiar gran-
deur and simplicity of features which distinguish the
mineral geogi'aphy of this part of our continent. We
have here a stupendous chain of granitic mountains,
many hundred miles in extent, and with no strati-
fied rocks resting about their sides, except a few
sandstones, equally granitic, and almost equally
primitive. - We discover here comparatively few
traces of that magnificent profusion of animal and
vegetable life, which in other parts of the globe has
reared mountains of limestone, clay-slate, and those
other aggregates, which if not entirely, are often in
a great measure, made up of the exuviae of living be-
ings. We shall not here be understood to contradict
the assertion we have before made, that the sand-
stones along the base of the Rocky Mountains con-
tain organized remains, and bear abundant evidence
of having been at a comparatively recent period de-
posited gradually from the waters of the ocean. The
particular we wish to remark as distinguishing these
mountains most strikingly from the AUeghanies, and
many other ranges, is the entire want of the aggre-
gates referred by the Wernerians to the transition
period, as well as nearly all the stratified primitive
rocks, and the limestones of the secondary forma-
tions. [193 This great range, as far as hitherto Jcnown
to us,, lies nearly from north to south. Considered

285

topographically, the sandstone formation belongs both
to the mountains and the plains, sloping down from
the sides of the granite, and disappearing under the
sands of the Great Desert.

The western boundary of this formation of sand-
stone, as far as our examinations have searched, ap-
pears to be defined, and corresponds to the side of
the easternmost granitic ranges. From the Platte
towards the south, the sandstone increases in width,
and on the Canadian it extends more than half the
distance from the sources of that river to its confluence
with the Arkansa. This sandstone formation we
consider as consisting essentially of two members.

1st. Red sandstone. — This rock, which is the low-
est of the horizontal or fletz rocks met with in this
part of the country, is very abundant in all the re-
gion immediately subjacent to the Rocky Moun-
tains. We have never met with a similar rock in the
eastern part of the valley of the Mississippi. It oc-
curs at intervals along the base of the mountain, re-
posing against the primitive rocks, in an erect or
nighly inclined position. It varies in colour from
bright brick red, to dark brown ; and is sometimes
found exhibiting various shades of yellow and gray.
It is, however, almost invariably ferruginous'; and the
predominance of red in the colouring certainly en-
titles it to the distinctive appellation of red sandstone.
The lowest part of the stratum has frequently least
colour, and is also the most compact and hard. This
is not, however, invariably the case ; for in the neigh-,
bourhood of the Platte, tnat part of it which lies im-
mediately upon the granite is white, and contains
beds of coarse conglomerate or puddingstone. At
the lowest points we have been able to examine,
are found embodied large oval or irregular masses.
of hornstone, usually of a yellowish-white, or blu-
ish colour ; and near the surface of these mas-
ses are found the few well-marked organic re-
lics the stratum can be said to contain. . Higher

286

up the rock becomes much softer, and usually of a
browner colour. It is disposed in immense horizon-
tal laminsB or strata, which, when broken transversely,
exhibit some tendency to separate into fragments of
a rhombic form. Near the 4ipper part of the stratum
are frequently seen broad belts of a lighter colour,
conspicuously marked with reticulating yellowish
veins. The cross fracture of the stone is even and
earthy, except in the conservatories. When divided
in a direction parallel to that of the strata, small scales
of mica are seen ; but this is usual only in those parts
of the stone where natural seams or fissures existed.
Small specimens from many parts of this stratum
could not be distinguished from the red sandstone
quarried at Nyae in New Jersey, and used in great
quantities in the cities of New York, Albany, &c. for
building. The character which most particularly di^
tinguishes this rock from " the old red sandstone of
Werner,** pointed out by Maclure in New York anfd
New Jersey, appears to be the constant accompani-
ment of gypsum, and muriate of soda ; the colour df
the stratum is also in general of a brighter red,
approaching vermilion, and is more copiously im-
parted to such streams of water as traverse it.

2d. Argillaceotcs or gray sandstone. ^^ Imnlediately
above the red sandstone, we have invariably found,
where any rock rests upon it, a grayish or yellowish-
white sandstone, which we distinguish as the second
variety. It most frequently contains a large proportion
of argillaceous earth in tne cement, and has a mot^
or less slaty structure. Heric6 it may with propriety be
denominated argillaceous sandstone, though it may
in some respects differ from the rock known to matiy
by that name. This variety being uppermost ill ac-
tual position, is perhaps more friequetitly seen thrfA
the other, while at the Same time it is probably lesS
abundant. The line of separation betwixt the* tWo is
often manifest and well defined'j andin other instdnc^
they pass by impei'c^ptible gradatiohs into each other.

8

287

The upper, or gray sandstone, is usually more com-
pact and homogenous than the red ; it breaks like the
other, though more rarely, into large cubic or rhombic
masses, which, on account of the more compact tex-
ture of the stone, retain their form longer than those
of the other variety. The precipices formed by both
are often lofty and perpendicular ; but the projec-
tions and angles of the red are more worn and round-
ed than those of the gray. The narrow defiles and
ravines which the streams of water have excavated,^
are less tortuous when they are made entirely ia the
gray sandstone, than in other instances. The springs
of water flowing from it are more free of mineral im-
pregnations, than such as are found in the other va«-
riety. It sometimes consists of glittering crystalline
particles, but does not in this case appear to be a
chymical deposit. In fine, it appears under an end-
less variety of characters, of which it would be in
vain to attempt the enumeration. Although the
gray sandstone is not invariably distinguished by the
presence of an argillaceous ingredient, yet it is con-
stantly found accompanying soft clay-slate, or bitu-
minous shale and coal, wherever these last are met
with.

If this formation of sandstone, consisting of the
two varieties . just mentioned, ever extended across^
tiie valley of the Mississippi to the Alleghany moun-
tains, as some might be disposed to believe, we cannot
pretend to determine what was its position relative
to the immense masses of fletz, limestone, and other
rocks now found in that valley. But as the red
variety is still extensively disseminated, and usually
accompanied by those valuable substances, salt and
pMster, it may not be amiss to trace, as far as our
e:&aminations have enabled us to do it, the outline of
the region which it occupies. As we have before men-
tioned, it is found in the vicinity of the river Platte,
ih a highly inclined position, covering a narrow mar-^
giti ittira^diately at the foot of Ifce Rooky Mountains*

From the accounts of Lewis and Clarke, we are in-
duced to believe that it exists uuder similar circum-
stances, near the falls of the Missouri. On the
Canadian it is constantly met with, from the sources
of that river on the borders of New Mexico, near
Santa Fe, 1C6^ west, until you arrive within a short
distance of its confluence with the Arkansa, in loug.
97^ west. The waters of the Canadian, from flowing
over the sandstone in question, acquire an intense
red colour, and are so impr^nated with muriate of
soda and other soluble salts as to be unfit for use.
This, we are credibly informed, is also the case with
the waters of three small rivers tributary to the Ar-
kansa, above the Canadian, on the same side ; also
with the waters of Red river. Hence the conclusion
appears to be justified, that this rock extends from
near the Arkansa on the north, to a point beyond
Red river on the south ; and from near the mouth of
the Canadian, an unknown distance to the west. It'
is not unlikely it may exist about the sources and
upper branches of the Rio Colorado of California,
the Red river of Santa F^, and the other Red rivers
of New Mexico. Near the mountains, and for a

freat distance to the south and east of the High
eak, it is covered by the gray sandstone already
mentioned. This gray sandstone is the uppei'most of
those horizontally stratified rocks which are seen in*
this region, possessing convincing evidence of their
being the deposition of an ocean or lake of salt-
water. . ^
Perhaps the most striking feature of this formation
of sandstone, is the great and abrupt change in the
inclination of the strata in the parts near the granite.*
We have already described this in a manner suffi-
ciently explicit, as we suppose, to convince most of
our readers that since the deposition of the sand--
stones, a signal change must have happened in the-
elevation of the secondary aggregates as compared
with the granite. The appearances are precisely

289

such as we must suppose would have ensued, had the
sudden emerging of the granite broken off, and
thrown into an inclined or vertical position the mar-
gin of the horizontally stratified rocks of the plains.
We are conscious that inclined strata of sandstone
are by no means infrequent about the declivities of
lofty mountains, but we are not well assured that the
same strata being traced to a little distance, are often
found in a horizontal position in the plains, as is the
case in the instance under consideration.

It may perhaps be thought possible that the gra-
dual wearing away, by the agency of rivers, of some
portions of the sandstone, may have been sufficiently
extensive to have occasioned that change of elevation
of which we speak ; and that those rocks now found
in an inclined position, are insulated portions of what
was formerly the upper part of the stratum, which
having been undermined on their eastern side, and
supported by the granite on their western, have fallen
into their present situation.

This supposition, however, seems incompatible with
the vast magnitude and extent of these rocks, and
entirely irreconcilable to the fact that they dip to a
great and indefinite extent below the present level of
any of the beds of the river.

The position of this formation in relation to the
granite is similar to that of the sandstone of Gua-
cbaco, in South America, observed by Humboldt;
also to that spoken of by Mr. Burkhardt, at the en-
trance of Nubia, superimposed upon the granite of
SyenCj and to that mentioned by Mr. Schoolcraft, as
found near Lake Superior, but it does not appear
that those formations have the same peculiarities in
in regard to inclination.
« - . . -

FLETZ TRAP ROCKS.

Another family of rocks, of recent formation, and
connected with the sandstone last mentioned, re-
mains to be noticed.

VOL. III. u

290

These are rocks of basaltic conformation, beloiq;^
ing to the class, by some mineralogists denominated
superincumbent rocks, and by many considered of
volcanic origin. They present a striking cofitrast,
by their dark colour, by the vastness and irregularity
of their masses, to the smooth, light, and fissile sand*
stone on which they rest. Sometimes tbey are ob*
served compact and apparently homogeneous in their
composition, and in many particulars of structure,
form, hardness, &c. seeming more analogous to the
primitive rocks than to those recent secondary aggre-
gates with which they are associated. In other
instances, black and formless masses of porous and
amygdaloidal substances are seen scattered about the
plains or heaped in conic masses, but having no im-
mediate connection with the strata on which they
rest. Most of the rocks belonging to this class were
observed in the neighbourhood of the sources of the
Canadian. Among them we distinguish two kinds,
referable to the two divisons called greenstone and
amygdaloid.

1. Greenstone f Jameson. — It appears in the limited
district we examined under almost everv variety of
form and character noticed by mineralogists. Some-
times it is nearly or quite free from any intermixture
of hornblende, is of a fine dark green colour^ and
closely resembles some varieties of serpentine. Some-
times its colour is a dull gray, graduating into brown
and black of various shades and intensities. It forms
numerous conic hills of considerable elevation, scat-
tered without order, or grouped in various directions.
These hills are usually of a regular and beautiful
form. The great plain on which they are based is
elevated and destitute of timber or water, but oraa-
ineuted with a carpet of thick and verdant grasses.
The hills, though steep and high, are sometimes
smooth and green to the summit^ the surface on all
sides being unbroken by trees or rocks, and covered
with thick turf. The whole forms a scene of sin^

291

gular beauty. During our journey across the dis-
trict^ based upon the rocks now under consideration,
we had et)nstantly occasion to admire the freshness
and abundance of the grasses and other herbaceous
plants. The plains of the Platte and Arkansa we
had seen brown and desolate, as if recently ravaged
by fire j but here we passed elevated tracts, where,
for many miles, we could find no water for our
own necessities, yet the vegetation possessed the
freshness of spring in the most fertile regions. But
the conic hills just mentioned, are not invariably the
form under which the greenstone appears. It some-
times rises in low irregular ridges, extending a con-
siderable distance, and sloping on both sides into the
level of the plain.

In the narrow channels which the streams of wa-
ter have sunk in it, may be seen perpendicular pre-
cipices of great elevation, but the valley between
them is usually almost filled with large broken masses
of the rock, which frequently exhibit a prismatic
form. It falls readily into large masses, but seems
strongly to resist that progress of disintegration which
it must undergo before it can be removed by the
water. The face of the petpendiculsw precipices are
almost invariably marked by distinct and large seams
running nearly parallel to each other, and at right
angles with the horizon. Following the water-courses,
which are sunk considerable distance below the sur-
face, the line of separation from the sandstone on
which the greenstone rests, at length becomes visible
on account of the descent of the surface.

2. Amygdaloid^ Kirwan, Jameson. — We apply
this name to a porous or vesicular rock,, of a very
dark grir)r, greenish or black colour, usually found
near the greenstQne, but sometimes in connection
with the sandstone. In its ultimate comjfK>sition it
resembles greenstone, but we have never seen in it
such large fragments of felspar and scales of mica,
as are observed in that rock. The amygdaloidal

u 2

292

cavities which every where penetrate this rock, are
of various sizes, some of them appearing like bubbles
which have been formed in a semifluid mass, and
afterwards lengthened and variously distorted by the
motions of the contiguous matter. Near the sur-
face they contain a soft white, or yellowish white
substance, very different from the rock itself^ usually
a soft chalk-like carbonate of lime. This gives the
recent surface a mottled appearance. In surfaces
which have been for some time exposed to the air,
this sofl substance has been removed, and the pores
and vesicles are found empty.

Amygdaloid does not appear to occupy any very
great extent of the country near the Rocky Moun-
tains. We have not met with it imbedded in, or
surmounted by any other rock. Like the green-
stone, it forms conic hills which sometimes occur in
deep water-worn vallies, bounded on both sides by
perpendicular walls of sandstone. It is likewise seen
in the high plains, sometimes in the form of narrow
and crooked ridges, apparently following what, were
anciently the beds of small brooks. Some very high
and sharp conic hills were visible to the westward,
but at a great distance. Two of this kind which stand
near each other, and seem to be detached from the
primitive mountains, are called the Spanish peaks,
. and at the end of July, snow was still to be seen
on them.

When either of the two rocks last mentioned
occur, it is not uncommon to find detached masses
of a stone somewhat resembling the pumice-stone of
commerce. It is usually of a laint red, or yellowish
white colour, but sometimes it is brown, or nearly
black. It feels less harsh than the pumice-stone
which is used in the arts, and seems to consist in a
great degree of clay. It appears to be entirely
similar to the substance brought down the Missouri
by the annual floods, and by many considered as a

293

product of pseudo- volcanic fires, said to exist on that
river.

With regard to the soils resting upon the rocks
of this trap formation, it may be worthy of remark,
that gravel and water-worn pebbles rarely occur,
except in situations where it is easy to see they may
have been derived from the subtratum of sandstone.
We are not disposed to enter into any discussion
concerning the origin of the trap rocks. The vol-
canists, and those who believe the trap formations to
have been thrown up in a state of fusion from be-
neath the crust of the earth, will have an easy
method of accounting for a fact mentioned in our
journal, namely, that pieces of charred wood were
found enclosed in the sandstone underlaying the
formation in question. Though we sought in vain
for some evidence that the rocks of this formation
traversed the strata of sandstone in the manner of
the whin dikes of England, we are conscious our
examinations were far too limited to justify us in
asserting that this is not the case ; nor can we adduce
a single fact from which it could be inferred that
these basaltiform rocks have been deposited, like the
accompanying strata of sandstone, from suspension in
water. The country occupied by this formation,
exhibits scenery of a venr peculiar and interesting
character. It is remarked by Humboldt *, that " in
the Canary islands, in the mountains of Auvergne,
in the Mittelgebirge in Bohemia, in Mexico, and on
the banks of the Ganges," and we may add, in the
United States, the formation of trap is indicated by
a symmetrical disposition of the mountains by trunc-
ated cones, sometimes insulated, sometimes grouped,
and by elevated plains, both extremities of which are
crowned by a conical . rising. In some of the un-
published drawings by Mr. Seymour, these peculiar

* Personal Narrative, vol. i. p. 87* American edition.

U 3

29*

features of the scenery of the fletz trap tbrmation,
have been preserved.

aECAPlTULATION.

The secondanr formations along the eastern base
of the Rocky Mountains, are :

1st. Red Sandstone — Rests immediately upon the
granite, is rather indistinctly stratified ; strata some-
times inclined and sometimes horizontal ; abounds in
gypsum, salt, and iron, but exhibits no indications of
coal.

2d. ArgiUaceattSf or Gray ^owdi/oife— Overlays the
red, conforming to it in the inclination of the strata,
occurs principally near the primitive ; contains coal
and iron.

Sd. Greenstone audGraystone^ — Of an imperfectly
columnar structure, resting on the argillaceous sand-
stone.

4th. Amygdaloid — Sometimes containing argil, and
sometimes hornblende, occurs with the greenstone
about the sources of the Canadian river, constituting
with te former the newest fletz trap formation.

5th. Sand and Gravel— Accompanying the sand-
stones and extending over the great desert, but rardj
found resting on the trap rocks.

The sandstones being entirely mechanical aggre-
gates, consisting of rounded fragments of rocks for-
merly constituting a part of the primitive mountains,
would seem to have been deposited at a very remote
period, when the waters of the primeval ocean
covered the level of the great plain and the lower
regions of the granitic mountains.

Subsequent to the deposition of the horizontally
stratified rocks, the position of these in relation to
the primitive, has been somewhat changed either hy
the action of some force beneath the primitive rocks,

'^ Plnkerton«

295

forcing them up to a greater elevation than they for-
merly possessed, or by the sinking down or the
secondary, produced by the operation of some cause
equally unknown. Without supposing some change
of this kind, how can we account for the great
inclination of the margin of the sandstone rocks
which is found resting against the granite almost
perpendicularly? Nearly contemporaneous to this
change, was the retiring of the sea, and the form-
ation of the trap rocks. The beds of loose sand and
gravel which are still constantly accumulating, have
been forme'd in part from the disintegration of the
sandstones and puddings, and partly by the action
of those currents of water which are constantly
bringing down small fragments from the primitive
rocks, and depositing them in the plains.

The absence of any formation of liipestone is a
distinguishing characteristic of the country under
consideration. A traveller to the upper part of the
Missouri mentions ** calcareous and petrosiliceous
hills,'^ as existing in the coal districts on that river.
But in ascending the Platte from its confluence with
the Missouri to the mountains, we saw not a single
fragment of limestone. Small veins of carbonate of
lime crystallized in the usual form, are met with in
the ar^aceous sandstone of the Arkansa, also the
sulphate in small quantities. Gypsum is very abun-
dant on the Canadian river, at a distance of three or
four hundred miles from the mountains. It is dis-
seminated in veins and thick horizontal beds in tlie
red' sandstone. The extent and thickness of these
horizontal beds are, perhaps, such as would justify the
appellation of stratum, but as it is not met with in
great quantities, except in connection with the sand-
stone, with which it oflen alternates, it may with
propriety be considered a subordinate rock.

Rock Salt. — This substance has often been said to
exist in some part of upper Louisiana, in the form of

u 4

296

an extensive stratum : we have met with salt among
the natives in masses of twenty or thirty pounds
weight. The interior of these masses when broken,
presented a crystalline structure, being made up of
incomplete cubic crystals variously grouped to-
gether. On one of the surfaces, which Imd probably
been the one in contact with the ground or rock on
which the salt had rested, a considerable mixture of
red sand was discoverable. These masses had ap-
parently been produced by the evaporation, during
the dry season, of the waters of sonie small lake.
The whole country near the mountains abounds in
licks, brine springs, and saline efflorescences, but it
is in the neighbourhood of the red sand-rock before
mentioned, that salt is met with in the greatest
abundance and purity. The immediate valley of
the Canadian river in the upper part of its course,
varies in width from a few rods to three or four
miles, but it is almost invariably bounded bv pre-
cipices of red sand-rock, forming " the river biuffi/'
In the valley between these, incrustations of nearly
pure. salt are often found, covering the surface to a
great extent, in the manner of thin ice, and caus-
ing it to appear when seen from a distance, as if
covered with snow.

Most of the remarkable formations of rock-salt
hitherto known, have been found in the stratum
denominated " the lowest red sand rock, which ap-
pears to correspond in character, position, &c. with
the sandstone above mentioned. Rock salt is found
in connection with this sandstone in Cheshire, aiid at
Northwich and Droitwich, in England, at Carddna
in the province of Catalonia in Spain, and at the
base of the Carpathian mountains in Moldavia and
Poland. In Peru it is accompanied by sandstone and
gyp3um.

Accident, or further examination, it is > probable,
may hereafler bring to light those extensive beds of

297

this substance, which there is reason to believe exist
in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains.
The briny character of those great streams, the
Arkansa and Red rivers, flowing over the red sand-
stone formation, and receiving from it the peculiar
character and colour of their waters, affords sufficient
evidence of the existence of such beds, and the
greatness of the quantity washed away in any given
time, would lead to the conclusion, that they must
be of vast extent. By the analogy of other rock
salt formations apparently similar in character, we
should be instructed to search for these beds in de-
pressed situations and basin-shaped cavities, whose
contents had not been worn down and removed by
the currents of water.

Other secondary rocks found in different parts of
the great valley of the Mississippi will be noticed
hereafter. Those above enumerated seem to have a
peculiar dependence upon the Rocky Mountains, and
for this reason, we thpught proper to consider them
in connection with that range ; they also appear to
be, in some measure, independent of the other mem-
bers of that great secondary formation on the borders
of which they occur. The peculiar features of the
region occupied by these rocks have been minutely
described in the narrative of our journey. It is a re-
gion unfitted by the barrenness of its soil, the inhos-
pitable character of its climate and other physical dis-
advantages, to become the residence of a permanent
and numerous population. The immense grassy plain
of the southern and eastern portions are adapted to
the feeding of cattle and horses ; and it is not impro-
bable the countless herds of bisons and wild horses
will soon give place to domesticated animals. The
coal, salt, plaster, and iron, which constitute the
mineral wealth of this portion of the United States*
territory, lose much of their value on account of
their remoteness from navigable streams. Beautiful
carnelions and agates occur in the ^lavial regions of

298

the Piatte and the Missouri ; but these will never
become objects of any importance.

Of the Ozark Mountains.

Leaving the newest fletz trap rocks, about the
sources of the Canadian, and returning eastward
along the great woodless plain between the Ar-
kansa and Red rivers, we find an extensive tract oc-
cupied exclusively by the red sandstone of the salt
formation. This rock, as we have already remarked,
is constantly accompanied by gypsum and muriate of
soda. The red and somewhat argillaceous soil
which results from its disintegration is far more fer-
tile than that of the gravelly plains of the Platte,
being often covered with a luxuriant growth of
grasses, and affording pasturage to great numbers of
herbivorous animals.

About one hundred and fifty miles west from the
confluence of the Arkansa and Canadian, this red
sandstone is discontinued, being succeeded, or per-
haps overlaid by an extensive coal formation. The
argillaceous sandstone of this formation assumes
various characters at different points. The Falls of
the Canadian, particularly described in our narrative,
are occasioned by a small ridge of fine argillaceous
sandstone of a deep green colour, crossing the bed
of the river obliquely. The coal beds in this region
are of great thickness, and are apparently extensive
and numerous. This formation appears, in a great
measure, unconnected with the coal strata along the
base of the Rocky Mountains, and the sandstone of
the two districts are often remarkably dissimilar.
Though the strata in both instances are nearly hori-
zontal the formation at the base of the Kooky
Mountains must have an actual elevation greatly sur-
passing that of the district now under consideration.
For these reasons, we have been induced to consider

299

this as belonging to the small group of mountains we
have already had frequent occasion to mention, and
which have received from Major Long, the name of
Ozark mountains. These we shall now proceed to de-
scribe, according to their formation in our possession.

From an inspection of the map annexed to this
volume, it will be perceived that the course of the
Missouri, below the mouth of the Konzas, is consider-
ablv inflected to the east, in order to pass round the
end of a range of hills, rising in the angle between
this river and the Mississippi. This range increases
in elevation for some distance to the south-west, its
highest point being somewhere near the sources of
the White and Osage rivers, the two most consider-
able streams originating in these mountains. Farther
to the south-west, losing a part of its elevation, it is
traversed in succession by the Arkansa and Red
rivers from the west, and gives origin to the Washita,
the Sabine, and some other rivers of inconsiderable
magnitude. Our acquaintance with the country
between Red river and the Rio del Norte is too im-
perfect to enable us to trace particularly the continu-
ation of the Ozark mount^s, which is believed to
extend to that river, and to have some connection
with its great southern bend, below the confluence
of the Rio Conchos. We will, therefore,. at present,
confine our attention to that portion north-east of
Red river.

Though ihece is no point of great elevation in any
part of the range, the whole is truly a mountainous
F^ion, and well entitled to a distinctive appellation.
Its parallelism in general direction to the Atlantic
coast, and the great chain of the AUeghanies, as well
as the character and inclination of its component
strata, affibrd unequivocal indication that it belongs to
a di€S^ent S3rstem from the great chain of the Rocky
Mountains. In several particulars, there is a striking
resemblance between this range and the AUeglianies,

300

and in some, as we shall notice hereafter, as manifest
a dissimilarity.

Near the western limits of the coal formation,
which are also the limits of the mountainous coun-
tries on the Canadian and Arkansa, compact lime-
stone occurs for the first time (as far as our acquaint-
ance extends) on this side the Rocky Mountains.
This formation of limestone, and the accompanying
strata of argillaceous sandstone, though they do not,
perhaps, always strictly coincide in position, may be
traced far to the north ; 'and these we consider as
marking the western limits of the Ozark mountains.
It is to be remarked, however, that in these observ-
ations, we do not intend to apply this name with
strict geographical precision to those portions only
which are sufficiently elevated to be called moun-
tains ; but so far to extend its signification as to in-
clude not only the high and broken ridges, but several
less elevated tracts possessing the same peculiar
mineralogical features.

The few facts and observations we have it in our
power to contribute towards an account of this in-
teresting range, were collected during a pedestrian
excursion from Bainbridge on the Mississippi, through
the country of the lead-mines, at the sources of. the
Merameg and St. Francis, and a journey from Belle
Point, by the way of the hot springs of the Washita,
and the upper settlements of White river, to Cape Gi-
rardeau. Tor many important facts we are indebted
to Major Long's unpublished journals of tours in va-
rious parts of the region in question, and to Mr. Nut-
tail's " Travels into the Arkansa Territory.**

Compact Limestone. — . We commence . with the
consideration of this stratum, as it is one of fre-
quent occurrence, and perhaps occupies, a greater
extent of surface thaii any other. It so frequently
alternates with the micaceous sandstones, and witn
the peculiar flint-rock of this district, that we have
never been able to devise any theory of arrangement

301

which appeared applicable to more than an incon-
siderable extent of territory.

A few miles west of the Rapids of the Canadian, a
thin stratum of compact limestone, of the common
blue variety, and abounding in organized remains,
overlays the argillaceous sandstone of the coal forma-
tion. This limestone becomes more abundant to-
wards the south, and is the prevailing rock on that
part of Red river, near the confluence of the Kiam-
esha. [^203 At Cape Girardeau, in the country a few
miles in the rear of Herculaneum and St. Genevieve,
and in many places throughoutthe district of the lead-
mines, there ia a coarse crystalline limestone, of a
light gray colour, which is usually the lowest rock
exposed in those places. It is very indistinctly stra-
tified, and has in many respects a considerable re-
semblance to the more crystalline varieties of primi-
tive limestone : for such it appears to have been
mistaken by Mr. Schoolcraft, who, in his work on
the lead-mines, asserts that the <^ mineral soil at Mine
a Burton, and the numerous mines in its vicinity, re-
poses on primitive limestone," page 108. Afterwards,
at page 11 9.V speaking of this same primitive lime-
stone, he says, " On going deeper, the rock again
graduated into a compact limestone, very hard, and
of a bluish gray colour, in which were frequently
found small cavities studded over with minute py-
ramids of limpid quartz.'' And again, at the page
first referred to, he informs us, " The primitive lime-
stone passes into transition, and secondary, in vari-
ous places on the banks of the Mississippi, between
Cape Girardeau, and Saint Louis. We adduce these
statements as confirming our own observations of
the alternation of the crystalline or sparry limestone,
with the compact blue variety ; but as we have ex-
amined with great care several of the places men.
tioned by Mr. Schoolcraft, and many others apparently
similar, we are disposed to think. he has mistaken the
' character of the rock. We have never met with any

302

limestone about the lead-mines which did not contain
organized remains ; and the white crystalline variety
abounds particularly in casts of encrinites, though these
are not always manifest without careful examination.

This limestone, though rather indistinctly strati-
fied, is marked by horizontal seams, distant one or
two feet, and sometimes more, from each other. Its
exposed surface becomes somewhat bleached and
rough with small prominences, in which we may
often distinctly trace the forms of animal remains.
The recent fracture is uneven, distinctly crj^
talline, and much like that of many moderately fine-
grained granites. Careful examination shows that in
many instances the most minute particles visible under
a lens, have assumed the rhombic form so common
to the carbonate of lime. These crystalline particles
vary greatly in size, and are sometimes half an inch
across. In the interior of the casts of animal remains,
they are sometimes less distinct than in parts of the
rock where no such remains are discovered.

These vast beds of sparry limestone, made up al-
most exclusively of deposits from chymical solution,
would seem to have been formed during periods when
great tranquillity prevailed in the waters of the pri-
meval ocean ; and their alternation with limestones
of the common earthy varietv, and with sandstones
made up of fragments rounded by attrition, may be
considered as proofs that those periods, whatever may
have been their distinguishing peculiarity, alternated
with other periods of a different character.

This variety of limestone is perhaps the lowest rock
hitherto noticed in the country of the lead-mines, and
it may, according to the suggestion of Schoolcraft, be
considered as the basis rock in that district ; but as it
certainly passes through every intermediate variety
into the compact blue limestone, there seems to be
no propriety in separating it from that rock, which
often overlavs the newest sandstones. If this view of
the subject be admitted, it results that we are to con-

303

sider the whole of that part of the Ozark mountains
which contains tlie lead-mines as belonging to a coal
formation. We have met with nothing north of the
Arkansa which appears to us to have any claim to be
considered as belonging to the class of primitive rocks.

Mr. Schoolcraft informs us, that granite, gneiss,
and mica slate exist in Missouri, but has omitted to
point out the particular localities. See Views of the
Lead Mines, page 92*

At St. Louis, Cote sans Dessein, Isle a Loutre,
and at many points on the Missouri, the limestone
partakes of the character of both the varieties above
mentioned, but is rarely if ever so exclusively crystal-
line as in the lead-mine district. Most of the lime-
stones between Franklin on the Missouri, and the
Council bluffs, are distinctly crystalline, and are usu-
ally of a yellowish or reddish white colour.

The horizontal limestone near the mouth of the
Ohio, is of a bluish gray colour, of a compact or fine
granular structure, and contains some metallic ores
often occurring in veins of beautifully crystallized
fluat of lime. Near some of these localities of fluat
of lime, we have observed the rock itself to contain
small and apparently water- worn masses of hornstone,
and some fragments of a perfectly white granular
limestone.

Petrosilex.^^ In the vicinity of Bainbridge, ten
miles above Cape Girardeau, is a stratified gray flint
rock very similar in aspect, and having nearly a simi-
lar fracture to the common gun-flint. This rock is
here an extensive stratum, and occurs in connection
with compact limestone. In tracing it towards the
south-west, we have not been able to detect the
slightest interruption to its continuity through an ex-
tent of more than two hundred miles along the cen-
tral portion of the mountainous district. Towards
the south-west it is found to acquire gradually a more
and more primitive character, and losing, near the
Chattahoocke mountain the accompanying stratum

304

of compact limestone, it appears near the hot
springs of the Washita, associated with the highly
inclined argillite of that district. This rock, as far
as our limited observations have extended, exhibits
no traces of organized remains. Its colour seems
gradually to change according to its age, or at least
with the apparent age of the rocks associated with it.
South of the Arkansa it is of a yellowish or pearly
white colour ; about White river, it is a dirty yellow,
and at the St. Francis a grayish brown. A corre-
sponding change may also be noticed in the inclina-
tion of the strata, and in other particulars. Aside
from this apparently intimate connection there is a
particular resemblance between the petrosilex of the
Washita, and the flint rock of the lead-mine district.
The rock in both instances falls readily into small
masses of a few ounces weight. The hills it forms
have usually a rounded outline, and often bear open
forests of pine, while the timber on the sandstone
hills is usually oak. Open woods of pine and oak
occur in almost all the uplands in the Ozark moun-
tains, and are considered unfailing indications of a
meagre and flinty soil.

Argillaceous Sandstone. — The sandstones of this
small group of mountains appear under almost every
variety of character, but in most of them, as far as
hitherto examined, we discover traces of coal or of
those minerals and organized remains which usually
accompany it. In the inclined sandstone near the
hot springs, there are, it is true, no indications of coal ;
and that rock is in every respect similar to what are
called the transition sandstones of the Alleghany and
Coatskill mountains, but by following it an incon-
siderable distance either east or west, it is found
passing imperceptibly into the- coal strata of the
Poteau, and of the Little Red river of White river.
In this instance, as in that of the stratum last men-
tioned, we And a rock apparently possessing as much
unity as can belong to such a subject, passing from

305

recent secondary down, through all the intermediate
grades, to the oldest transition^ and thus heaping
confusion upon our doctrines of the original con-
tinuity and systematic succession of strata.

A conspicuous character in the sandstones about
the central and western portions of the region under
consideration, is the great proportion of mica, in large
scales, which enters into their composition. Frag-
ments of the sand-rock, about the mouth of the
Poteau, might be mistaken for mica slate. This
mica is rarely if ever of that dark coloured variety
which prevails in the Rocky Mountains ; and in the
other materials of these aggregates, there is a manifest
want of resemblance to those mountains. A very
slight comparison of the secondary formations at the
base of the Rocky Mountains, with the similar ag-
gregates in the Ozark range, will be sufficient to
convince any one that they have resulted from the
wearing down of primitive mountains, very dissimilar
in character to each other.

We might have remarked, when speaking of the
Rocky IVlountains, the absence of any formation of
talcose rocks, and indeed of magnesian fossils of any
kind, and a corresponding deficiency of talcose and
chloritic sandstones among the secondary rocks.
We no sooner arrive at the western margin of the
secondary belonging to the Ozark mountains, than
we meet with extensive beds of sandstone, in which
fhe prevalence of magnesia forms a conspicuous cha-
racter. The beautiful argillaceous chlorite sandstone
at the rapids of the Canadian, has been already
described, and similar beds are not uncommon in
many places in the vicinity of extensive depositions of
coal.

Another peculiar variety of sandstone occurs, in
connection with the sulphuret of lead, at the old
mines of St. Michael, and at many places thereabouts.
This bears apparently the same relation to the com-
mon sandstones, as the crystalline limestone above

VOL. HI. X

306

mentioned does to the earthy varieties, and it alter-
nates with and passes into the common rock in a
similar manner. Its particles are crystalline, and
appear to remain undisturbed in the position in which
tney were originally deposited from solution in water.
Nevertheless the aggregate is manifestly secondary,
and embraces the relics of many organized beings,
as is common in the other secondary rocks.

There is also about the lead mines a sandstone
composed of small glimmering grains of transparent
quartz, and so loosely cemented as to fall rapidly to
pieces, forming a light gray sand. In this variety
we have sometimes observed the lead ore either
dissemminated, or forming horizontal veins between
the laminse of sandstone. An examination of some
spots might lead to the conclusion that the soil in
which most of the lead has hitherto been foundt has
resulted from the disintegration of ^ sandstone of this
kind.

Sandstone, though oflen covered at the surface by
compact limestone or some other stratum is probably
the rock which occurs in the greatest quantity
throughout every part of this range of mountains.
It is the prevailing stratum in all the country between
the Arkansa and Red rivers, from the confluence of
the Mamelle westward ; rising to the height of two
or three thousand feet, to form the summits of the
Cavaniol, Sugar Loaf, and Mt. Ceme, and to a less
considerable elevation at the Mamelle, Magasin,
Caslete, and Short mountains.

North of the Arkansa it forms the body of the
Chattahoocke mountain, and of many nameless ele-
vations, which diversify the surface from the sources
of the Little Red river to the Mississippi. Beds of
coarse conglomerate or puddingstone, are met with
In many places ; but these are particularly frequent
in connection with the inclined or transition sand-
stones about the Washita.

Native Argil.'— Kme miles west of Bainbridge, on

307

the road to Jackson, and on the right bank of the
Mississippi, near the head of Tiawapeti bottom, also
ia- various other places in this vicinity, there are
extensive beds of perfectly white native argil, of
about the hardness of common chalk, for which it
has often been mistaken. [21] See Schoolcraft's
** Catalogue of Western Minerals," art. 1st. Not-
withstanding Mr. Schoolcraft's confident assertion,
it must yet be considered doubtful whether any
chalk has ever been found in the region under
consideration.

Specimens of the substance called chalk by the
inhabitants, were collected at several places between
Cape Girardeau and St. Louis. Also on the north
slide of the Missouri, on the road from St. Louis to
Franklin. Some of these which were brought to
New York, have been examined by my brother, Dr.
J. James, and others, and were found to consist prin-
cipally of argil, none of them occasioning tlie slightest
erorvescence with acids.

This substance, whatever it is to be considered, is
distributed extensively throughout the country lying
around the confluence of the Missouri and Missis-
sippi. Some specimens have been sent from Illinois
to the Lyceum of Natural History at Troy, where
they are spoken of as a " littrographic carbonate of
lime ;'* but whether any experiments have been
made to ascertain their real character we have not
been able to learn. We have not, from our own ob-
servation, found occasion to confirm the statement,
that nodules of flint are found imbedded in this sub-
stance; but we have commonly found it accompanied
by the flint rock already mentioned, which has in
many respects a manifest resemblance to the flints
occurring in chalk formation. We have sought in
vain for the remains of echini and other animals so
common in chalk beds.

Argillite. — Of the older secondary rocks, we have
observed in the Ozark mountains only the inclined

x 2

308

sandstones and conglomerates above mentioned, and
a limited formation of argillite, extending a few miles
around the hot springs of Washita, and re-appearing
on the Arkansa at and above the town of Little
Rock, being usually accompanied by vast beds of
petrosilex. This latter ought, perhaps, to be con-
sidered a distinct stratum, but south of the Arkansa
we have not been able to trace it uninterrupted for
any great distance.

Mr. Nuttall, in his valuable Journal of Travels
into the Arkansa Territory, mentions grauwacke slate
as occurring along the Arkansa river near Little
Rock, p. 105. We have observed none here in any
considerable degree similar to the grauwacke slate
of the transition mountains of New York, or even to.
that of the Alleghanies. We are aware, however,
that some of the aggregates which we call sand-
stones, have all the characters attributed to grau-
wacke slates, *^ grauwacke is a complete sandstone j**^
and in a district where both are so intimately
blended as in that we are considei'ing, perhaps it is
unnecessary to attempt any distinction between,
them ; or we may persevere in the use of the two
names at the same time, acknowledging they, are
both applied to the same stratum.

The hot springs of the Washita issue from clay-
slate, and if we may judge from the inclination of
the strata, and the distance at the surface from the.
granite of the cove, we may conclude a very large
mass of clay-slate is interposed between the surface
of the granite and the point at which the springs
rise. This however it is not possible to ascertain.
The hottest springs on the globe rise from beneath
Qi within the granitet, and it is not improbable this
rock may approach near the surface at many points

* Jameson in the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, Art. Mineralogy.

• t Humboldt's Personal Narrative, yoL iv. p. 171. 195. vol. v.
p,553.

309

in the Ozark mountains, where it hais not yet been
uncovered.

The slate rock about the hot springs is highly in-
clined, often a good deal flinty in its composition,
and as far as we have observed, contains no or-
ganised remains. It is traversed by large upright
veins, filled usually with white quartz, contrasting
strongly in colour with the dark blue of the slate-
stone. The elevation of the " Hot Springs moun-
tain*' is estimated by Hunter and Dunbar at three
hundred feet above the surface of the creek at the
springs. This point is probably raised twenty or
thirty feet above the Washita at Keisler. North of
the springs the slate-rocks rise to greater elevation ;
but it is not probable that at any point where we
have seen them, they attain the height of one thou-
sand feet above the Mississippi.

The high lands between Washita and Red river
are occupied principally by sandstone, the clay-slate
appearing to extend from north-east to south-west,
which, as far as we have observed, is the direction of
the strata ; these, when they are not perpendicular,
usually dipping to the north-west.

The country about the sources of the Washita is
represented as affording many interesting minerals ;
among them are enumerated " a martial pyrites, large
bodies of crystallised spar, and hexagonal prisms,
which are known to contain no small portion of the
precious metals.'* * If the clay-slate in any part of
this mountainous region should be found accom-
panied by its usual attendant, the metalliferous lime-
stone, we should be more ready to credit the accounts
of the precious metals being found, as at least some
of the valuable mines in America exist in that stra-
tum. But as yet we have no satisfactory accounts of
the occurrence of that limestone, or any of the pre-
cious metals in that part of the United States.

* Stoddart's Louisiana, p. 391.

X 3

310

Granite. — About fifteen miles south-east from the
hot springs, near the Washita, granite is found m situ.
It forms the basis, and, as far as we could discover,
the whole mass of a small hill, but little elevated
above the level of the river ; we found it emerging
from beneath the soil at several parts of an area for
two hundred or three hundred acres ; but had not
an opportunity to trace it to any great distance, nor
to observe its connection with any other rock. Tlie
extent of surface which it covers, we believe, cannot
be very great. This granite is very soft, and dis-
integrates rapidly when exposed to the air. It is
compounded of grayish- white quartz, yellowish-white
felspar, and an unusually large proportion of mica,
in variously and brilliantly coloured masses. These
large laminae of mica are white, pearl colour, yel-
low, brown, green, and often black, and in some
instances are so large and numerous as to exceed in
roportion the other ingredients of the aggregate*
.^alc also enters in large proportion into the compo-
sition of this granite. It is indeed sometimes so
abundant as to occasion a doubt whether the whole
should not be considered a bed of talc, rather thaa
granite. This talc is in tabular masses, two or three
inches in diameter, and about half an inch in thick-
ness. Zeolite is also so abundant as sometimes to
seem to take the place of the other mateiials of the

franite. It is of two varieties, radiated and mealy,
tilbite (blaettriger zeolith of Werner) occurs in con-
nexion with zeolite. The bed of one of the small
streams which traverses this formation of granite is
paved with small crystals of schorl, that of another
with native magnet. Sulphuret of iron is dissemi-
nated in the granite. Several of the appearances
presented by this interesting mass of granite, would
9eem to countenance the (^ini(Ki that it is of second-
ary origin, like that mentioned by Saussure, a^ exist-
ing near the valley of Valorsine, at Semur en Auxois,
and at the city of Lyons. In speaking of the granite

«

311

at these places, he says, ** It could not be doubted
on seeing these heaps of large crystals, that they are
the produce of the rain-waters, which, passing
through the granite, have dissolved and carried
down these different elements, and have deposited
them in these wide crevices, where they have formed
new rocks of the same kind. The crystals of these
new granites are larger than those of the ancient, on
account of the repose which the waters enjoyed in
the inside of these reservoirs."

The granite of the Washita, if it is to be consi-
dered as of secondary formation, appears to be much
more extensive than any of the kind hitherto known.
Many more particulars must, however, be ascer-
tained before this question can be settled. We are
ignorant of the manner of its connection with any
other rock. Nor do we know of any formation of
primitive granite from which it could, by the action
of water, have been derived. One can have no
hesitation, however, in considering the Ozark moun-
tains, as a separate system within themselves, and
having no immediate connection with the Alleghanies
or Rocky Mountains. The sandstones which lie about
these mountains, abound much more in mica than those
near the Rocky Mountains, nearly in the same propor-
tion as the granite of the latter has less than what is
met with in the little we have seen of the former. The
Ozark mountains exhibit evidence of metallic riches far
exceeding any thing that appears in the Rocky Moun-
tains. May not an extensive range of granite and other
primitive rocks have existed at some distant period
where the Ozark mountains now are, containing the
vast quantities of the ores of lead, iron, &c. now
found in rocks of recent secondary origin, and even
in the alluvial? and may not the operations of water
during many ages, when an ocean rolled over the
summits of these mountains, have worn down those
primitive rocks, their detritus having been deposited
horizontally upon their submarine sides and summits i

x 4

312

80 that the greater part of their surfaces are now
covered by secondary aggregates? Our acquaint-
ance with this range is however much too limited
to admit of indulgence in such speculations.

Numerous specimens of minerals brought by Lieute-
nant Graham and Dr.Somerville from the Upper Missis-
sippi and the Illinois rivers and others from that region,
now in the possession of Dr. L. C. Beck, of St. Louis,
have a peculiar resemblance to similar minerals met
with in the Ozark mountains, south of the Missouri.
From these resemblances, and the corroborating tes-
timony of all the accounts we have received con-
cerning that country, rich in mines, which lies along
the eastern side of the Upper Mississippi, we have
been induced to believe that a continuation of the
Ozark mountains, or at least, of a region similar in
Mineralogical features, extends from the confluence
of the Missouri, northward to the sources of the
Wisconsan, and the Ontonagon river of Lake Supe-
rior, north of the Missouri, the country is very little
elevated ; but aside from this it appears to possess
all the peculiar features of the region we have been
considering. The sandstones, the limestones, and
other rocks, have a striking resemblance. Both
regions abound in the ores of lead, and both afford
copper.*

We are aware that the great irregularity in the
direction of the ridges accessory to this range, and
of the dip and inclination of the older secondary
rocks belonging to it, may be considered objections
to our idea of the connection and continuity of the
different parts and the general direction of the group.
But we are by ho means anxious to maintain the
position we have assumed. Our examinations have
been limited, and we shall rejoice in any opportunity
of correcting our errors, and enlarging our acquaint-
ance with this interesting range of country.

* Copper has been found in Illinois, near the sources of Cache
river.

313

We subjoin in a note some account of a few of the
most interesting minerals hitherto observed in con-
nection with the rocks of this district. [22]

Recapitulation.

The Ozark mountains extend from the sources of
the Rio Colorado of Texas on the south-west, to the
confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri on the
north-east, and are continued in a low range from
this point towards Lake Superior. They are widest
in the south-west, and in that quarter they min-
gle with some low tracts of secondary sandstone^
extending from near the Gulf of Mexico to the base
of the easternmost ridge of the Rocky Mountains.
Whether there is any similar expansion at the
northern extremity, or whether this range is con-
nected as a spur to the great primitive chain sup-
posed to exist north of the great lakes, and is sepa-
rated by a wide secondary and alluvial valley from
the Rocky Mountains, is yet to be determined. This
range consists of low ridges, irregular in direction,
rarely rising to an elevation of more than 1500 or
2000 feet, and consisting principally of secondary
rocks.

The strata are —

1st. Granite — at the cove of the Washita.

2d. Argillite — ranging north-east and south-west
from Little Rock on the Arkansa to the hot springs,
and thence to the sources of the Klamesha.

3d. Transition Sandstone — a narrow margin, fol-
lowing nearly the same direction on the north-west
side of the argillite, and usually inclining like it to
the south or south-east.-

4th. Flint (petrosilex) — From the hot springs
north-east to the Mississippi, and usually forming
the basis of the pine-lands.
^ 5th. ieme^/one— Compact and sparry j . distri-

314

buted in the same direction as the last, but more
extensive.

6th, Argillaceous Sandstone — with extensive beds
of coal, and abounding in mines of lead.

7th. Alluvial — There are many extensive tracts of
deep argillaceous or calcareous loam ; in other in-
stances, a more meagre soil has resulted from the
disintegration of the sand-rock.

These are the remarks we have been able, from
observation, to make respecting the geology of a part
of the United States* territory, west of the Missis-
sippi. Relating to that part of the interior of our
country which lies north-west of Lake Superior,
and north of the sources of the Missouri, we have
little satisfactory information. From the accurate and
intelligent Mackenzie, we are however able to collect
a few important particulars. This enterprising voy-
ager, it is well known, travelled from Montreal^ L.C.,
in latitude 45° 30^ longitude 74®> in a north-west
direction, to the mouth of Mackenzie's river, latitude
69% longitude 135^; and again, at a later period,
leaving his former route at the Lake of the Hills, about
midway between Lake Superior and the mouth of
Mackenzie's river, he ascended, in a south-west di-
rection, theUnjegah, or River of Peace, to the Rocky
Mountains, and crossing them, fell upon the sources
of the northern branch of the Columbia, and from
thence arrived at the Pacific, at a point a little north
of the inlet of Queen Charlotte's sound. From him we
learn that the Rocky Mountains continue in an unin-
terrupted chain, from the sources of the Missouri in
the south, to a point beyond the sixty-fifth parallel
of north latitude, near the mouth of Mackenzie's
river. The River of Peace *which he ascended in his
journey to the western ocean, has its source in these
mountains in about SS"" north, nearly opposite to those
of the great northern branch of the Columbia. Far-
ther towards the south are the sources of the Saskat-
chawin, a large river, discharging itself from the

315

north-west into Lake Winnipic. Tlie mountains in
this part seem to be less elevated than those more to
the south, but in other respects entirely similar.
Their northern termination, according to this tra-
veller, is in about north latitude 65°, 130® west lon-
gitude. Santa Fe in New Mexico is in latitude 36%
longitude 104° 53' * west. From this it will be per-
ceived, that the general direction of this great
mountain range is nearly from north-north-east to
south-south-west. We have no evidence to confirm
the conjecture, which, nevertheless, is highly pro-
bable, that the principal ridges of this range con-,
sist through their whole extent of granite or other
primitive rocks. Considering the stupendous cha-
racter, the great elevation and uniformity of the
appearance of that portion of these primitive moun-
tains with which we are acquainted, we should be
led to look for similarity of character, and similar
uniformity throughout. It is commonly believed, as
asserted by Maclure, that " a large mass of primi-
tive occupies all the northern part of this conti-
nent ;" and he considers the great Atlantic range of
primitive, the mountains of New England, New York,
and the Alleghanies, as a spur for this formation. We
are not acquainted with the grounds on which this
opinion is founded, but we see no reason to consider
it an improbable one. Of the northern boundary of
that vast formation of secondary which certainly oc-
cupies a very large portion of the interior of this con-
tinent, we are ignorant. On the south-east, its limit
is the irregular border of the transition of the Alle-
ghanies, commencing between the Alabama and
Tombigbee rivers, and running north-west to Fort
Anne, near Lake Champlain. From this point, a
narrow and perhaps interrupted. strip of secondary
extends through the valley of Lake Champlain to
the upper parts of St. John's river. The island and
mountain of Montreal are of secondary. The coun-

* Lafora> cited in Humboldt's New Spain.

316

try also between St. John's and La Prairie is most
probably secondary, as is much of that along the St
Lawrence below Montreal. From the termination
of the transition near the confluence of the Alabama
and Tombigbee, the secondary rocks continue on the
south-west, sometimes concealed by the recent alluvial
to the Black-lake river, near Natchitoches. Beyond
this, the information we have is not satisfactory.
From this point, turning north-west, we may for the
present consider the Red river of Louisiana as the
boundary of the secondary, or rather the limit of our
acquaintance with this formation.

Beyond the Ozark mountains, the district between
the Red river and the Canadian is occupied by the
red sandstone of the salt formation, mentioned when
speaking of that region, and is undoubtedly to be
considered secondary. How far it extends to the
west beyond the sources of Red river and the Cana-
dian, we are unable to determine. At the commence-
ment of the most eastern ridge of the Rocky Moun-
tains, a few south of the high peak, and at no very
great distance north from Santa Fe, the boundary
again becomes determinate. From this point it runs
nearly north one hundred and fifty miles, where it
crosses the river Platte. From the narrative of Lewis
and Clarke, we are enabled to determine with suffi-
cient accuracy, that it crosses the Missouri not far
from the Falls, in longitude 110° west. Beyond this,
the little information we have, we owe to Sir Alex^
ander Mackenzie. He informs us, that great quanti-
ties of pit coal are found about the sources of the Sas-
katchawin, which lie near the Rocky Mountains, and
between 50° and 55"^ north latitude. The sources of
Saskatchawin are placed by this traveller near the
base of the Rocky Mountains; and the coal form*
ation which he mentions, lies on the margin of a
plain extending far to the north and east. The Sas-
katchawin running to the east, traverses 15® of longi-
tude, and discharges its waters into Lake Winnipic in

21

317

latitude 53^ north. Lake Winnipic is connected by
the Severn and Port Nelson rivers to Hudson's-bay.
There is a water communication, interrupted by one

Sortage, from the Saskatchawin, north-west, to the
lississippi or Churchiirs river ; and from thence, by
the Lake of the Hills, Slave Lake, and Mackenzie's
river, to the North Sea. Near the Lake of the Hills,
in latitude 59% Mackenzie found several brine
springs. This, though not decisive evidence, per-
haps justifies the conclusion, that secondary rocks
exist in that neighbourhood. A view of the cha-
racter and direction of the several large rivers which
traverse the region about Hudson's Bay, of their nu-^
merous inosculations, and the number and position
of the small lakes which abound in every part of it,
afford, at least, presumptive evidence, that it is an
extensive plain little inclined in any direction.

We may, perhaps, venture to conclude, that the
secondary formation extends uninterrupted along
the base of the Rocky Mountains, as far as to the
Saskatchawin, where coal was observed by Mac-
kenzie. What lies beyond is as yet unknown. From
this coal formation, our boundary must for the present
run in a direction a little south of east to Lake Supe-
rior, whence it may, with a few inconsiderable inter-
ruptions, follow the territorial boundary of the United
States, until it arrives at 45''' parallel of latitude,
thence by the St. Lawrence to Montreal. The slight
acquaintance we have with the. country north of this
line, is perhaps insufficient to justify the conjecture,
that secondary formations occupy an extensive por-
tion of that country. It is improbable, that form-
ations of secondary extend along the base of the
Rocky Mountains through their whole course, and
from thence spread themselves to the east, knowing
no limits but Atlantic mountains, the shores of the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the northern ocean. We
know that rocks of this formation exist about the

318

Gulf of St. Lawrence, whence coal, plaster, and
sandstone, are brought to our markets.*

This boundary of the great formation of secondary
rocks, which occupies so large a portion of the in-
terior of our continent, includes a vast area of sur-
face, extending through 25° of latitude, and 60® of
longitude. I intend to consider that portion of it
only of which the state of fects at present known
enables us to speak with some degree of confidence.
This portion may be conceived as occupying the area
of a large triangle, the base of which is a line run-
ning from Montreal in Lower Canada^ south-west to
a point, near the outlet of the river Sabine, the
western boundary of the state of Louisiana. The
summit would be at the sources of the Saskatchawin,
which are west of north from the mouth of the Sabine,
and north of west from Montreal. The Rocky
Mountains on the west, and the Alleghanies on the
south-east mark the limits of the secondary in those
directions. Its extent towards the north and north-
east is as yet unknown.

In the wide space included within the lines above
mentioned, we know of but one exception to the
remark, that all the rocks found in place are second-
ary. This is the instance of the Ozark hills travers-
ing the horizontal strata from south-west to north-
east, somewhat in the manner of a whindyke. The
most striking peculiarity of this range, is the preva-
lence among the secondary strata of crystalline sub-
stances, and what are called rocks of chymical depo-
sition, and the alternation of these with beds and
strata whose integrant particles bear evident marks of
having been worn and rounded by mechanical attri-

* The banks of the river Montmorenci, from the natural steps
downward to the St. Lawrence, are composed of a lime slate
placed in horizontal strata from the depth of five to twenty-four
mches, each connected by fibrous gypsum of a whitish colour.
Heriot's Travels, p. 88. The island of Cape Breton abounds in
sandstone, coal>and plaster. Ibid*4iSl.

319

tion. Appearances of this kind are observed in all
formations of secondary rocks, but it is believed,
are, in few instances, as extensive or as numerous
as in this. It is well known, that the ores of lead, so
abundant in many parts of this range, occur in the
uppermost strata or horizontal sandstone, or in pri-
mary soils superimposed upon those sandstones. It
has been suggested, that these ores of lead may have
been brought down in the alluvion of rivers from
some more ancient and elevated region, but any one
who shall examine them in connection with the sub-
stances with which they are now found associated,
will, we think, be convinced of their having been of
contemporaneous origin with the sandstone. That
the sparry limestones, the crystalline sandstones, and
perhaps the ores of lead, (almost invariably found in
the form of crystals,) have been deposited from solu-
tion in water, is highly probable; and that these
depositions must have taken place in connection with
circumstances not unfavourable to animal life is evi-
dent, as all these crystalline rocks abound in or-
ganised remains.

In attempting an explanation of these appearances,
can any assistance be derived from recourse to the
ingenious suggestion of Bakewell, that the matter of
these crystalline beds and strata has been ejected Jrom
beneath the crust of the earth in a state of chymical sO"
lution. These sub-marine eruptions may have been
numerous, and may have happened at different and
remote periods ; hence the alternation of rocks, con-
sisting of particles mechanically aggregated together
with those of chymical deposition. Hence the exist-
ence of metallic ores overlaying recent marine sand-
stones and compact limestones; for these ores, in a
state of solution, may have been the matter thrown
out in some of the latest eruptions.

This supposition may derive some confirmation
from the well known fact that this region is still in
a remarkable degree subject to subterranean concus-

320

sions and earthquakes. These concussions centring
apparently in this range of mountains, and felt at
times throughout all the western parts of the United
States, are certainly too considerable in force and
extent to be attributed to the operation of a cause
so limited and superficial as the decomposition of
beds of lignite lodged among the alluvion of the
Mississippi. We do not insist upon the accounts
that have been so often circulated, of the blowing,
smoking, and burning mountains, said to exist in the
country west of the hot springs of the Washita, be-
cause these accounts want confirmation.

Though this range of mountains has probably a
nucleus of primitive rocks running through its whole
extent : yet these appear but rarely at the surface.
We have seen such only in the places already men-
tioned, and have been informed of others in Wash-
ington county, near the sources of the St. Francis,
and about Lake Superior. *

From the information we have been able to col-
lect, we are induced to believe that secondary rocks
occupy the country on both sides of Red river, from
its sources to its confluence with the Mississippi.
If this be the case, the primitive of the Ozark moun-
tains must be considered a small and insulated mass.

The inequalities of surface in this great secondary
formation are considerable. It has often been called
the " basin of the Mississippi," but with little pro-
priety, since it might with equal accuracy be called
the basin of the St. Lawrence, the Saskatchawin or
Mackenzie's river. The form of that part of it which
contains the Mississippi, is however similar to that
designated by geologists as a basin-shaped cavity. . As
far as our acquaintance extends, it is bounded on all
sides, except a narrow space at the outlet of the Mis-
sissippi, by a surface or greater elevation than itself.
But whether this surface is not sometimes of second'^

t , ^.

Schoolcrafl.

321

ary formation is doubtful. It is dangerous to infer
the existence at a former period of an insulated in-
land sea from any formation of secondary rocks,
without being acquainted with its whole extent, with
its elevation at different points, and its connexion
with other rocks. On the south-east, secondary sand-
stones and depositions of coal are met with in some
of the most elevated parts of the Alleghany moun-
tains. The positive elevation of the primitive moun-
tains of New England is, except at a few points,
scarce equal to that of the secondary in the western
parts of the state of New York. From the primitive
rocks near Philadelphia, to the secondary of the
Alleghanies, is an almost uninterrupted ascent. The
clay-slate and granite of the Washita, occupy nearly
the lowest part of the surface of the Mississippi val-
ley. We are as yet destitute of barometrical or other
observations, by which we might determine the actual
height which the secondary rocks reach on the sides
of the Rocky Mountains. Pike estimates the eleva-
tion of the plain at the foot of the mountains, at 8000
feet above the level of the ocean. This is doubtless
overrated. We have already observed, that second-
ary rocks are found upon the sides of the Rocky
Mountains, considerably above the level of the plain.
It is probable, that this estimate of Pike's far exceeds
the truth, yet any one who considers the great length
and rapidity of the rivers which flow from that rei-
' gion, the severity of cold in winter, the rapidity
with which evaporation is carried on in summer, the
transparency and peculiar aspect of the sky, will be
convinced that those tracts are highly elevated j and
there is unquestionably good reason to believe, the
secondary rocks along the eastern base of the Rocky
Mountains have in many points an elevation at least
equal to the summits of the Alleghanies.

This vast formation of secondary, extending as it
probably does from the Gulf of Mexico to the
Northern ocean, and from the Bay of Stc Lawrencfe

VOL. III. Y

to fhe Rocky Mountains, must of necessity occupy
in various parts different and sometimes great eleva-
tions : like other great fields of the same formation,
its borders are marked by high and broken ridges,
which become less elevated and less frequent towards
the centre. Sandstone appears to be the basis and
predominating rock occupying the borders contiguous
to the primitive and transition, and passing under
the more recent secondary. In this sandstone on
the outskirts of the secondary, have been found most
of the extensive coal beds hitherto known, also gyp-
sum and brine springs.

Horizontally stratified limestone is met with in
many parts oi this formation, but is most abundant
in the central portions, about the beds of the great
rivers, and in those parts which have the least posi-
tive elevation. Compact limestone is a name some-
times used to designate all the varieties of that rock
occurring in districts of secondary, but is certainly
inapplicable to the limestone about Cape Girardeau
and in many other places, which is notwithstanding
manifestly secondary. Some of the limestone north-
west of the primitive on Hudson's river, about the
Coatskill and Hellebergh mountains, is of this crys-
talline variety, but abounds in marine exuviae. That
of Lake Champlain, as well as the greater part of
that in the interior and western parts of the state of
New York, is of the compact blue variety. From the
falls of the Ohio at Louisville to Cincinnati, a mixed
kind^ partaking of the character of both of the be-
fore-mentioned varieties, is found along the river,
^nd for some distance on each side. From Dr.
Drake we learn, that this limestone is confined to a
«mail district, and is on all sides bounded by sand-
stone, which rises from below it, and on which it is
supposed invariably to rest. Whether the red.sand-
arock which is found on the south-west branches of
the Arkansa, in a horizontal position, and in an
^^gMy iQctined orne skirts the Rooky Moiuitaiiis,

3SS

extends to other parts of this formation of secondary,
we are unable to say.

Throughout the country adjacent to the Ohio
river^ the prevailing and basis rock is a gray hori-
zontal sandstone, often approaching in charactw
those varieties which contain coal, it embraces ex-
tensive beds of coarse conglomerate, and supports or
alternates with compact limestone.

Of the Alleghany Mountains.

By this name we intend to designate the great
range of mountains extending parallel to the Atlantic
coast, from the sources of the St. John's river in
New Brunswick in the north-east, to the confluence
of the Alabama and Tombigbee in the south-west.
An outline of this great chain has already been
traced by Maclure, and particular accounts of por-
tions of it are to be ibund in the works of Eaton
and others j we shall, therefore, confine our atten-
tion to those strata, which, forming the north-western
side of the range, are most intimately connected
with the great secondary formations of the west.

1st. Granular Limestone — Appears in every part of
the United States, where it has hitherto been ob-
served to be the uppermost in the series of primitive
rocks. It is true, it is often found to graduate, by
minute and imperceptible shades of difference, into
that which is decidedly secondary. Instances of this
have been observed so frequently that the fact can
be no longer questioned. This fact, and others of
the same kind, ought not, perhaps, to be considered
as invalidating the received opinions with regard to
the classification of rocks according to the doctrines
of Werner. If a divisionis to be made of the rocky-
strata of the earth into primitive, transition, &c. it is,
perhaps, of little importance whether the boundaries
thus instituted shall traverse be4s of tl^e sanae sub-

'y 2 ■

324

stance, or separate contiguous strata composed of dif-
ferent materials.

That series of rocks next in order to the primitive
limestone above mentioned, has been very generally
denominated the Transition Class. It comprehends
the following strata : Metalliferous limestone^ Clay-
slatCj GraywackCf and Graywacke-slatey and Old Red
sandstone. If we confine our attention to the consi-
deration of these rocks as they exist in our own coun-
try, we shall find them appearing in their different
localities under circumstances of considerable uni-
formity.

2d. Metalliferous Limestone. — Theprevailing colour
of this rock is blue, of various shades and intensities,
varying into yellow and gray. It has usually a close
texture, an even, large conchoidal, or somewhat
splintery fracture. In many varieties the surface, by
long exposure, becomes coated with an incrustation
of a yellowish white powdery matter, which adheres
closely. It is frequently traversed by small reticulat-
ing veins of quartz or calcareous spar, which, dur-
ing the gradual decomposition of detached masses,
resist the progress of disintegration, and are left
standing out from the surface, giving it a chequered
appearance. It is the lowest and is considered as the
most ancient of the rocks containing organized re-
mains, which are those of cryptogamous, plants and
animals without sight.

Geographical distribution. — This rock occurs ex-
tensively along all the north-western side of the primi-
tive of the great chain of the Alleghanies. In lower
Canada and Vermont, it is accompanied by granular
limestone and granular quartz, which separate it from
the mica slate and talcose rocks on the east. [See
Eaton's Index to the Geology of the Northern States.]
It is there usually inclined towards the west, at an
inconsiderable angle. It is separated from the com-
pact fletz limestone of the valley of Lake Champ-
lain by a stratum of old red sandstone, which forms

3S5

the upper part of a range of hills, called, in Vermont,
the Snake mountain. In Berkshire county, in the
western part of Massachusetts, and along the eastern
side of the Hudson in New York, a stratum of pri-
mitive clay-slate intervenes between this rock and
the granular limestone. The New Lebanon moun-
tain, which is of slate, and divides the primitive
limestone of Pittsfield, Richmond, Stockbridge, &c.
from the transition which occurs at New Lebanon
springs, and along the western base of this range, is
considered primitive. (^Dewey in SilUman*s Journal.)
To the north-east of the Hudson river, the transition
limestone nowhere occupies any great extent of sur-
face from east to west, but is a narrow strip running
along the margin of the primitive, and in a few miles
is succeeded either by red sandstone, or clay-slate
resting upon it. In Vermont, in the same neigh-
bourhood, it alternates with clay-slate, and supports
red sandstone.

Crossing the Hudson above the highlands, and
proceeding south-west, little of this stratum is seen in
the lower part of New York ; but it becomes more
abundant in the western parts of New Jersey and Penn-
sylvania. If we suppose the whole of the Alleghany
mountains of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the western
parts of Virginia, removed to a level with the surface
at base of their eastern declivities, it is probable their
foundation, which would be thus exposed^ would be
found through their whole extent to be of transition lime-
stone. This rock is almost the only one which occurs
between the primitive limestone. About twenty miles
west of Philadelphia and Harrisburgh, Cove Hill, the
North and South mountains, and the other eastern
ranges of the Alleghany, are all based upon metalli-
ferous limestone. It is seen emerging from beneath
the sandstone which forms the body of these mouri-
tains at O'ConnePs t town, and in most of the vallies
between the AUeghanies. We learn from Maclure,
that it extends itself to the south and west, nearly
to the termination of this range of mountains at the

Y 8

S£6

confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers in
Mississippi.

3d. Transition ArgilUte. — This name is intended
to comprehend not only the common varieties of the
clay-slate of transition, but also some varieties of gray-
wacke, and the siliceous slate by some considered a
distinct stratum. It is believed, that throughout the
range of country occupied by the several rocks here
mentioned, they will be found too intimately blended,
and too closely entangled with each other, to allow
of their being considered as separate formations.

Geographical distribution.'-^The formation includ-
ing the above mentioned rocks, may with propriety
be denominated clay-slate of transition. As far as our
acquaintance has extended, it occurs in all its localities
associated with metalliferous limestone, or old red
sandstone. It is not to be confounded with the primi-
tive argiliite which occurs below transition limestone,
and is met with in the highly primitive parts of New
England, nor with the aluminous schist of the great
secondary formation to the west. It is distinct from
either ; and in most instances its character is marked
with sufficiait distinctness. It occurs in the central
portions of that extensive field of transition which
skirts the western margin of the primitive of New
York and New England, and forms the great body
of the Alleghany and Cattskill mountains. It is
wid^ and more extensive in the north, occupying
much of the surface in Vermont, the northern parts
of the state of New York and Canada. In the
Alleghany mountains c^ Pennsylvannia, Ms^yland,
and Virginia^ its beds are c^ great thickness, and
form, in some instances, the prevailing rocks,
being, however almost invaiiably overlaid by s^md-
stone. It has^ in seyerdi instances, been observed to
contain impressions of organised rematiiSi but these
are usually those of zoophytic animidSj apd are ex-
qee^inghr unlike those found so abundai:itly in the
sc^ifrt; of coa) foxoiations. Its col^Mirs are vswiabk^ it

8S7

is, however, most commonly blueish, black, <m: dai^k
brown. Between Albany and Pittsfield, it is met with
of a green colour, and a few miles to the south-east
of White-hall, New York, it is bright red.

The graifwackey which in this very general and
hasty view we have considered as in part belonging
to the clay-slate of transition, appears to us to form
the connecting link between that clay^late and the
old red sandstone. In attempting to give a more de«
tailed account of these formations, we might perhaps
speak of the graywacke as others have done, as a
distinct stratum. We have, however, usually found
it so intimately blended either with the sandstone or
clay-slate, that in this enlarged view we see no
necessity for a separation. We cannot agree in opi-
nion with some who have considered the graywacKe
as the substratum of the great secondary formation
of the valley of the Mississippi. We have found it
almost invariably overlaid by an inclined sandstone,
separating it from the secondary rocks towards the
west. This may not be as often the case at the
north, as in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
Mr. Eaton is of opinion, that <* graywacke underlays
all that district of country in the interior of the state
of New York, which would be bounded on the north
by a line drawn from Albany westward to the Onon-
daga salt springs; on tlie west, by a line running from
the salt springs by Bath to the Pennsylvania line ; on
the south, by a line running thence to Newbergh
on the Hudson, above the highlands; and from
thence to Albany, by a line running parallel to the ri-
ver, at a few miles distance." We are informed by
Governor Clinton*, that coal strata exist in the
iwrestern part of the state of New York, and we are
induced from the analogy of the other parts of the
same great secondary formation, to believe that the
brine springs of Onondaga rise not from gray wacke,

. * l^oe hifr speech at the openiog of the MMioii of U8f*

Y 4

328

but from the sandstone of that coal formation. Ac-
cording to Maclure*, old red sandstone appears from
under the limestone and other strata at Lewestown,
ten miles below the falls of Niagara, and also near
the salines of Onondaga in Genessee county. " This,"
says he, " would give some probability to the con-
jecture that the old red sandstone is the foundation of
all this horizontal formation, and is perhaps attached
to some series of rocks laying on the primitive north
of the Great Lakes."

Sandstone of Transition. Old Red Sandstone of
Werner? — Throughout the whole extent of the
transition formation before mentioned, a sandstone
occurs, evidently belonging to the oldest depositions
of that rock. It is for the most part distinctly stra-
tified, and in all cases its stratifications are inclined.
It consists of grains of quartz, united by a scanty
cement, and usually more or less rounded, as if by
attrition and the operation of currents of water.
Their fragments vary in magnitude from the fifiest
sand to boulders of several pounds weight. Among
the Alleghany mountains are many extensive beds
of pudding-stone or coarse conglomerate, usually
coloured by oxide of iron. It is also to be observed,
that this formation of transition sandstone sometimes
.embraces extensive beds, whose integrant particles
have by no means the appearance of having been
rounded by attrition. As in the case of almost all
the rocks of secondary formation, there appear to
have been periods durmg the time of its deposition
.when the waters of the superincumbent ocean ceased
to throw down the mechanical debris of former
rocks, and deposited earthy matter from a state of
chymical solution. It is perhaps one of the most in-
teresting and most diflScult problejms which remain
unsolved, to account for the alternation through the
whole series of lower secondary and fletz rocks, of

^ Obseorvations.on the Geology of the United Stateis, p. 57.

beds of strata of mechanical with those of chymical
deposition.

The Alleghany mountains in New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Maryland, and Virginia, are made up prin-
cipally of rocks belonging to the transition class, and
among these sandstone is perhaps of more frequent
occurrence than any other aggregate. We are aware
that Maclure has not considered the sandstones of
the Alleghany mountains generally, as belonging to
the old. red sandstone formation of Werner; and it.
must be acknowledged there is some difference, at
least in colour, between the ferruginous sand-rock,
which commences on the shore of Tappan bay near
Nyac, and extends south and west by the ivay of
Newark, Amboy, and Brunswick, in New Jersey,,
and that which forms the body of the Cove, Sideling
and Alleghany ridges farther to the west. But we.
cannot discover so marked a difference between the
sandstone of the localities last mentioned, and that
which occurs about the South mountain in Pennsyl-
vania, that at Hagerstown in Maryland, and near
Harper's ferry, in Virginia, which Maclure considers
as the old red sandstone. Indeed, this last appears
to us in almost every respect to resemble the inclined
sandstone which prevails so generally throughout the
middle and eastern ridges, of the Alleghany moun-
tains in Pennsylvania and Maryland. We have
already stated the opinion, in part sanctioned by the
observations of Maclure, that the old red sandstone
is the great substratum of the part of the secondary
formation south of Lake Ontario. If this be the
case, what stratum, if not the old red sandstone,
should be seen emerging from beneath that second-
ary along its south-eastern margin? We will not,
however, contend for the name. It is sufficient for
our purpose to state, that the sandstone so abundant
in all the principal ridges accessary to the Alleghany
on the east, has the character of a rock belonging to
the transition class of the Wernerians ; that is, its

380

strata have a somewhat regular dip and inclination ;
it contains no beds of bituminous coal, though many
of anthracite, and few organised remains. Near the
summit of the ridge called particularly the Alle-
ghany, the change to secondary begins to appear.
Without the interposition of any other stratum, and
without any sudden change of features, the strata of
sandstone become nearly horizontal, assuming gra-
dually all the characters of secondary rocks. About
one mile west of the summit of the Alleghany, on the
road from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, the first in-
dications of coal are dbserved. Descending into the
vallies, the transition strata again emerge to the light.
The same thing happens in the case of Coatskill
and other mountains west of the Hudson, their basis
being of transition, and their summits crossed with
secondary.

The horizontal sandstones connected with the de-

?ositions of coal occurring along the Ohio from
Pittsburgh to the confluence of Green river, assume
various characters, and often support extensive form-
ations of compact limestone. [2SJ

NOTES.

containing, probably, like the milky pieces of many other of
the urticae, a large intermixture of caotchouc, or gum elastic.
Observing this property in the milky iuice of the fruit, we
were tempted to apply it to our skin, where it formed a thin
and flexible varnish, affording us, as we thought, some pro-
tection from the ticks.

The fruit consists of radiating, somewhat woody fibres, ter-
minating in a tuberculated and slightly pi^illose surface. In
this fibrous mass the seeds, which are nearly as large as those
of a quince, are disseminated. We cannot pretend to say
what part of the finiit has been described as the *^ pulp which
is nearly as succulent as that of an orange ; sweetish, and per-
hap9 agreeable when fully ripe.** In our opinion, the whole
of it is as disagreeable to the taste, and as unfit to be €tften as
the fruit of the sycamore, to which it has almost as much re*
semblance as to the orange.

The tree rises to the height of twenty-five or^irty feet, di*
viding near t\^e ground into a number of Icmg, slend^, and
flexuous branches. It inhabits deep and fertile soils along the
river valley. The Arkansa appears to be die northern limit
of the range of the maclura, and neither on that river, nor on
the Canadian, does the tree or the fruit attain so considerable
a size as in warmer latitudes. Of many specimens of the fruit
examined by Major Long, at the time of his visit to Red
river, in 1817, several were found measuring five and an
half inches in diameter.

NoOT[d]. Pagefi7.

This tree, the populus angulata of Pursh, has received its
common name from the downy cotton-like appendage to the
seed, which being ripened and shed in May, or thebeginning
of June, is then seen floating in the air m great quantities^
and often proves somewhat troublesome to the eyes and noses
of persons who are much in tlie open air. Baron Humboldt
in speaking of the unona aromatica of South America, says,
** Its benches are straight, and rise in a pyramid neariy bke
those of the poplar of the Mississippi, felsely called Lombardy
p<^lar." Pers. Nar. vol. v. p. 168. As far as our observadon
has extended, the poplar most common in the country of the
Mississippi, and indeed almost the only one which occursf, is
the angulata, very distinct from the populus dilatata. At
JLombardy {M>|4ar of our streets and yards, which JsjQot 4t

3&S

NOTES.

Note [1]. Page 7.

In places where tbe absence of crocodiles permits people to
enter the river, Humboldt and Bonpland observed, that the
immoderate use of baths, while it moderated the pain of the old
stings of zanceadores, rendered them more sensible to new* By
bathing more than twice a day, the skin is brought into a state
of norvous irritability, of which no idea can be formed in Eu-
rope. It would seem as if all feeling were carried towards the
integuments. Humboldt* s Personal Narrative, vol. v. p. 105.

Note [2]. Page 22.

Madura Aurantiaca^ Nuttall. — A description of this in-
teresting tree may be seen in Mr. Nuttall's valuable work on
the Genera of North American Plants, vol. ii. p. 233. That
description was drawn from specimens cultivated in the garden
of Mr. Choteaii, at St. Louis, where, as might be expected, the
tree did not attain its full size and perfect character. In its
native wilds, the Madura is conspicuous by its showy fruit, in
size and external appearance resembling the largest oranges.
The leaves are of an oval form, with an undivided margin, and
the upper surface of a smooth shining green ; they are five or
six inches long, and from two to three wide* Tlie wood is of
a yellowish qolour, uncommonly fine and elastic, affording the
material most used for bows by all the savages from the Mis-
sissippi to the Rocky Mountains. How far towards the north
its use extends we have not been informed; but we have often
seen it among the lower tribes of the Missouri, who procure it
in trade from the Osages and the * Pawnees of Red river.
The bark, fruit, &c. when cut into, exude a copious, milky
sap, which soon dries on exposure, and is iiisduble in water;

336

the early part of summer an extremely grateful and balsamic
odour.

Note [4]. Page 54.

We do not know that any writer has visited these Indians
since the expedition of Mr. Bourgmont, Commander of Fort
Orleans of the Missouri, which took place in the year 1724.
They were then» and hav^e since continued to be, distinguish-
ed collectively by the name of Padoucas. Du Pratz informs
us, that they were then very numerous, " extending almost
two hundred leagues ; and they have villages quite close to
the Spaniards of New Mexico." And that " from the Padou-
cas to the Canzes, 'proceeding always east, we may now safely
reckon sixty-five and a half leagues. The river of the Canzes
is parallel to this route." From this statement of the course
and estimate of the distance to the country of the Padoucas,
it is evident, that at this day these Indians do not habitually
wander in that direction so near to Missouri as. they then
did, owing probably to the hostilities of the more martial
nations residing on that river.

Note [5]. Page 55.

Btifo cognatus, — Fuscous, with cinereous lines ; head cana-
liculate, groove abbreviated before. Bod^ above, dark brown-
ish, papiUous, the papillae and their basal disks black ; they
are more numerous, prominent, and acute, on the sides and
legs ; not prominent on the back. A vertebral cinereous vitta^
from which an oblique cinereous irregular line is drawn from
the vertex to the side behind the anterior feet ; another double
one from the middle of the back to the posterior thighs.
Sides and legs with irregular cinereous lines. Head with a
groove, which hardly extends anteriorly to the line of the
anterior canthus of the eyes ; verrucas behind the eyes, mo-
derate ; superior maxilla emarginate ; beneath granulated.

Length from the nose to the cloaca, Sf inches. A specimen
is placed in the Philadelphia museum.

Note [6]. Page 63.

Amongst the herds of these animals, we frequently saw
flocks of the cow bunting {emberiza pecora). The manners
of this bird, in some respects, are very similar to those of the

S.87

Tanagra erythroryncha of Lord Stanley, in Salt's travels;
flying, and alighting in considerable numbers on the backs of
the bisons, which, from their submission to the pressure of
numbers of them, seem to appreciate the services they render,
by scratching and divesting them' of vermin. This bird is
here, as well as in the settlements, remarkably fearless. They
will suffer us to pass very near to them, and one of them
to-day, alighted repeatedly on the ground near our horses*
feet : he would fly along our line, and balance himself on his
wings, to gratify his curiosity, within striking distance of a
whip.

Note [7]. Page 72.

We have since learned, from Major O'Fallon, that letan^
the distinguished Oto partizan, had informed him, within a
few days of this date, that he had just then returned from a
war excursion in company with a small party of Otoes that
he led. And the narration of his adventures satisfactorily
proved, that it was he and his party that reduced the letan
war-party to the condition in which they presented themselves
' to us.

Note [8]. Page 117.

Agama collaris, — Scales o( the back, neck, and head be-
neath, anterior legs, and superior and posterior portions of
the posterior legs, small, slightly convex, mutic, rounded,
or a little oblong, obsoletely arranged in transverse lines;
those of the abdomen and breast larger, slightly hexagotial or
quadrate, and distinctly arranged in transverse lines ; those
of the tail rather smaller than the abdominal ones, arranged
in bands, quadrate, mutic towards the tip of the tail, oblong,
carinated, and acute ; front, middle of the iiead, vertex, and
anterior portion of the inferior jaw, with scales approaching
the size of plates ; colour^ back with Ave or six dusky, broad
bands, alternating with narrow fulvous bands, which have
each a series of yellow or cinereous spots ; a few spots are also
scattered on the dusky bands ; sides greenish-yellow ; sides of
the heck fulvous, more or less varied with brilliant vermilion
red, a deep black band, and another on the shoulder, both
obsolete above, and terminating near the anterior legs; fe-
neaih pale ; posterior thighs with a series of pores ; et/es silvery^
pupil round, black; tail long, tapering, cylindrical. Length

VOL. III. 2

SS8

» r

from nose to cloaca 4 inches, tail 5f inches. A specimen is
deposited in the Philadelphia musemn. ' >

Note [9]. Page 121.

Ixodes molestus. — Body reddish brown, pmictured, orbi-
cular very slightly approaching ovate ; scidus rounded or sub-
angular, hardly attaining the middle of the body, and with'
two distinct, indented, longitudinal lines; tergum, with about
four dilated, black, distinct radii behind the middle ; margin
from neai' the middle of the side, with ten or twelve impressed,
acute, equal, equidistant lines, which do not crenate the edge
or upper surface. Length rather more than -j^^ of an inch.

Note [10]. Page 125.

The word Masseme, applied by Darby as a name to the
hills of the Arkansa territory, near the boundary of Louis-
iana, and by Nuttall, to the mountains at the sources of the
Kiamesha and the Poteau, is supposed to be a corruption of.
Mont Cemey the name of a small hill near Belle Point, long
used as a look-out post by the French hunters.

Note [11]. Page 138.

Mr. John Rogers, a very respectable and civilized Cherokee,
told me that one of the regulators happening to have a rela-
tion who had been repeatedlv guilty of theft, and finding him
incorrigible, he destroyed his eyesight with a penknife ; say-
ing, ** As long as you can see you will steal ; I will, therefore^
prevent your mefts by the destruction of your sight." Nuttall's
Travels into the Arkansa Territory, p. 135., to which work
the reader is referred for an interesting sketch of the history,
and of the present condition of the Cherokees. We think it
imnecessary to dwell longer upon a subject which has been
so frequently discussed.

Note [12]. Page 136.

The confluence of White river with the Mississippi, has
been said to be " situated fifty miles above the mouth of the
Arkansa." It has also been asserted, that its bifurcation is
at " about thirty miles above its junction with the MississippL"
See &^pe?/er<|^fif View of the Lead Mines of Missouri, p. 248.

25Si^ There iv howeveti little reasoit to 4aat^ dial err«ws>'(yf
this sort, upon a sul^tBor^faiiuibrH^knDWii)jmU^oblf6a>^^^
ral currency^ lii the- same wotk, uxe i length of While f m^
is ^said tO' be tbirleai hundred: 'ndleiL^}

NoTE:t[:i3l. Bagefld8ci*

The mine of Merameg, whicH is MlVef, ifi ^smty^n^afrlftfe*'
conflCience of the river which gives it naiif(^' whiCh^s'agri^At''
advantage to those who would work it, becaasi^ th'ey iriigbt"
easily, by that means, have their gppds from l&fOpd. Itis
situate about 500 leagues from the sea. 27i# i4*^ IJotdsi-
ana, vol. i. p. 294u

Note [14^3. Page 151.

'< There are four principal springs rising immediately on
the east bank of the creek, one of which may be rather said to
spring, out of the gravel bed of the river ; a fifUi,' a smaller
one than that above mentioned, as rising on the west side of
the creek ; and a sixth, of the same magnitude, the most iiortb-
erly, and rising near the bank of the creek ; these are all the
sources that merit the name of springs, near the huts; but ^
there is a considerable one below, and all along fit intervals the
warm water oozes out, or drops from the bank into the creek,
as appears from the condensed vapour floating along, the mar-
gin of the creek, where the drippings occur." This extract
from the "Observations" of Hunter and Dunbar, when<;on*-
pared with, our account, wilL show that some changes have
happened in the number and position of the springy since the
time of their visit in. 1 804.^

NoTE{;i5]. Page 151.

On the 1st of January, 1818, the thermometer, in the air^
at sunrise, stood at 24*^, at 2 p.m. 49"^, at. sunset 41°.

Immersed in the water of the creek, below the sprlngSf
at 61°.

In spring No. 1. being the lowermost on the creek, 122°,

water discharged, 4 gallons per minute.
No. 2. A feet few from No. 1, 104°, dbcharges

1 gallon per minute.

No. 3, Twenty-five yards from, the last, lOS"*,

discharge^ two gallons per minute.
No. 4. Six yards above the last, IV6°, discharges

2 gallons per minute.

z 2

340

Temperature of a spring issuing from the ground, at a con-
siderable distance up the side of the hill, 64°.

Springs, No. 5, 6, and 7, 126°, 94°, 92°. These rise very
near each other, the warmest being more elevated than the
rest; the three discharge about 8 gallons per minute.

No. 8. Issuing from the ground, fifty feet above the level
of the creek, uniting, as it rises, with another at 54° ; temper-
ature of the mixture, 128°, discharge of the two, 10 gal-
lons per minute.

No 9. Rising on the point of a small spur, sixty feet above
the level of the creek, 132°, discharges two gallons per
minute.

No. 10. Forty feet above the creek, 151°, discharges 10
gallons per minute. Green bushes in the edge of this, which
IS tne hottest spring.

No. 11. Three reet above the creek, 148°, discharges 12
gallons per minute.

No. 12. Twenty yards above the last, 132°, discharges 20
gallons per minute.

No. 13, 14, 15. Near the last, 124°, 119°, 108°, discharges
each 4 gallons per minute.

No. 16, 122°, discharges 2 gallons per minute.

No. 17. The uppermost on the creek, 126°.

No. 18, 126°; 19, 128°; 20, 130°; 21, 136°; 22, 140. All
these are large springs, and rise at an elevation of at least
100 feet above the creek. In the same area are several others,
and what is more remarkable, several cold ones. In any
of the hot springs I obsei^ed bubbles rising in rapid succes-
sion, but could not discover any perceptible smell from them.
Not only confervas and other vegetables grow in and about
the hottest springs, but great numbers of little insects are
seen constantlv sporting about the bottom and sides. Tem-
perature of the water of the creek, above the springs, 46°.
The entire quantity of water flowing in the creek, after it
receives the water of the hot springs, may be estimated at
from 900 to 1000 gallons per minute.

Note [16]. Page 152.

The temperature was, however, no more than sufficient to
raise the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer to 160°. It
has been represented by Bringier, in a paper published in
Silliman's Journal, that ^* the heat of the water is 192° Fah.'*
On what observations this assertion rests we know not See

S4,X

" The American Journal of Science and Arts." Vol. iii.
No. I. p. 29.

Note [17]. Page 164.

" The south side of this river, quite to the rapid part, is
entirely different from the opposite side; it is somethin'^
higher, and rises in proportion as it approaches the heisjht
I have mentioned ; the quality is also very different. This
land is good and light, and is disposed to receive all the cul-
ture imaginable, in which we may assuredly hope to succeed.
It naturally produces fruit trees and vines in plenty ; it was
on that side muscadine grapes were found. The back parts
have neater woods and meadows, intersected with tall forests.
On that side the fruit trees of the country are common, and
above all, the hiccory and walnut trees, which are sure indi-
cations of good soil." Du Prat^ Louisiana, p. 166.

Note [18]. Page 184.

Several persons, passengers on board a steam-boat, ascend-
ing the Mississippi, in 1820, went on shore near New Madrid*
In one of the houses which they entered they found a small
collection of books : as they were amusing themselves with
the examination of these, they felt the house so violently
shaken, that they were scarce able to stand upon their feet \
some consternation was of course felt, and as several of. the
persons were ladies, much terror was expressed; " Don't be
alarmed," said the lady of the house, ^^ it is nothing but an
earthquake^

Note [19]. Page 284.

What explanation the advocates for the doctrine of thd
recent emersion of our continent will give of the highly an e
exclusively primitive character of the Rocky Mountains, wt()^
are at a loss to conjecture. The organized reraiains hitherse
observed in the secondary af^gregates along the base of tho d
mountains^ are mostly of animals supposedf to have inhabite^
the depths of the ocean. But If the granite of the Rock^
Mountains has been forced up at a redent period, where ar
the traces of all those older secondary, and fletz rocks, which
should have intervened between it and the horissontal ^nd«
stones? If these mountains had formed the shores of that
ocean, in which the greater part of our continent was so long

z 3

imoeTsed, atixr Ihe ^levntion of the did toorld, we should have
expected to find along their base, the remains of littoral ani-
mals, and not of those which inhabited the depths of the
ocean. It would be .proper, however, before we refer to the
character of the Rocky Mountains, as invalidating or confirm-
kig any ■sj'sleni -of opinions, to ascertain that their eastern and
westovn sides ore in all respects similar.

Note [20]. Page 301.
Tl«e TtiUcy.-frf' -Red rivei abounds in limestone, often pre-
•Miting the sheiis of testers ami other moluscous animals in a
state of petrifac^OBs^wiBttered in profusi<m over the surface of
the ground, and lAaining their original form entire, while on
the ^kaosa, the rocks are generally sandstone, no limestone
beiag ibuBi^ except of the Illinois, Grand, and Canadiui
rivers. Major Ijon^s MS. Journal. Several organic relics
from the country about the confluence of the Kiamesha, have
been obligingly conunuiucat«d by Mr. Nuttali : among these
IB a shell which approaches nearest to the variety of the gry-
jlhcea dil^ata of Sowerby, 1 49. fig. 2, but the lobe is far less
disdnot, and the shell is more narrowed towards the hing^
and is somewhat less dilated, and much more like an ostrea.
It nay be thus described : G. comigata. Say. — Small valve,
flat^ and v«ry much wrinkled, tuid like the other, narrowed
near the binge. The beak is short, and curved upwards, and
laterally, and the sulcus is very disdnct. Length, and greatest
breadth of the small valve nearly equ^ ; fi'om 1 i to £ inches.
It is In « very perfect state fx preservation. Mr. Nuttali
brought also from Red river, a species of ostrea, which to the
eye appears hardly changed. The anterior portion of the
specimens are wanting, but the greatest breadth of the r^-
maining portion of the largest one !» nearly three iffohes.
The hinge fosse in this spi^cie^i is proportionably much noTO
contracted, and smaller in every respect, than any other sp/^
cies of the genus we have seep ; tha( of the specimen abow
mentioned is less than one-b#lf of «□ inch, The sp«ciauw
were evidently those of ojd shells, bpipg much thifjMne^
Another species of ostrea, p. hinge ^-a^ent of an old aa/^
thicken^ individual, which appears to nave 1)4^ lo'i>8i *B^
narrow ; the hipgp fosse iM«If 19 li^flg am} widiQ- I,<eqg^ ^
1(16 hinee raor^ fliap ^(ree iii(^ grf^Jn^ wtfJtb fflffff^ tbW

343

Note [21]. Page S07.

" A very extensive bed of native argil occurs on the right
bank of the Mississippi, commencing near the head of Tiawa-
peti Bottom, at the Little Chain, about forty miles above the
junction of the Ohio and Mississippi, and extending with very
little interruption near six miles above the Grand Tower, a
distance of thirty-four miles. Beyond these limits I have not
observed it. Its colour is snow-white; structure fine, pul-
verulent ; fractui*e dull earthy. It is amorphous, and adheres
to the tongue. It does not effervesce with acids, even in the
slightest degree. The bed of argil reposes on horizontal
strata of siliceous sandstone, and is overlaid by shell lime-
stone. In the vein of argil, nodules and veins of flint are ar-
ranged so as to make with the horizon an angle of about fifty
degrees. The argil has been taken to New Orleans, Pitts-
burgh, St. Louis, &c. in considerable quantities, supposing it
to be chalk, for which substance it has been used." Mr. Jes^
sup's MS. Report

" Flint, — This occurs in nodules and veins in a bed of
native argil, above Tiawapeti Bottom. Its colours are bluish-
gray and greenish-black. It gives fire with steel ; the frac-
ture is conchoidal, and the edges are translucent. The veins
of flint dip to the south-east." Ibid,

Imbedded in the chalk of Cape Girardeau, are occasionally
found nodules of flint, which are enveloped by a hard crust of
calcareous carbonate, arranged in concentric layers. Its
colour is grayish-black, breaks with a perfectly conchoidal
fracture, is translucent on the edges, and readily gives fire
with the steel. Schoolcrciffs View of the Lead Mines^ p. 180.

Note [22]. Page SIS.

<< Fluate cfUme. — This mineral occurs in great abundanc5e
seventeen miles south of Shawaneetown, Illinois, on Peter's
crec^, and proceeding about thirteen miles in a south-west
direction, it again appears on and near the sur&ce of the
ground ; at the three forks of the Grand Pierre creek, main-'
taining the same ccmrse, it breaks out in several places for
near twenty miles. This beautiful and useful species of lime
occurs at Peter^s creek, almost invariably io aorysttiUized
form; the crystals av» umiMMUy cubes > «t tb* tbrirfe fork»
oftfae(jh»iidFi#ii»crdd(yita(xai^ SMWictf lerend fesi

344

in diameter. Both the crystallized and massive varieties, pos-
sess almost all the shades of colour that havd been observed in
the European specimens : viz. green, violet, blue, red, yellow,
white, black, and rose-coloured. This mineral varies in
transparency, some specimens being perfectly limpid, others
opaque. Some of the violet and rose*coloured specimens,
when recently fractured or pulverized, yield a strong bitumin-
ous odour; this character (which has never been observed
heretofore as belonging to this species of lime) is perceptible
only in the crystallized specimens.

" The vein of fluate of lime is apparently very extensive ;
very few minerals have been found associated with it, at the
above localities. I saw at Peter's creek a few specimens of
laminated calcareous spar, and a few of sulphuret of lead.
Excavations have been made by several gentlemen who reside
in that vicinity, for lead, but no veins or beds of this ore have
been found.

** From examination of the situation of those specimens
which 1 found, and the general appearance of the vein of
fluor spar, I do not think that there is a sufficiency of lead
ore, to reimburse the expenses that would be necessarily in-
curred in mining. The accompanying rocks of the vein of
spar are compact limestone, sandstone, and oolite." Jessup^s
MS. Report.

« Concreted Carbonate of Lime^ variety Oolite. — This oc-»
curs on Peter's creek, seventeen miles south of Shawaneetown,
Illinois^ associated with compact limestone, and sandstone, in
the gangue of the filiate of lime. It is composed of globular
masses, about the size of English mustard-seed, which are
united by a calcareous cement; the nucleus of the globules
are detached, leaving a small cavity in the centre of each ; its
colour is yellowish- white ; fracture dull." Ibid*

*' Sulphuretted Hydrogen Gas, — This gas is very abundant
in the water of many of the springs and wells in Missouri ter-
ritory. Its origin is probably owing to the decomposition of
sulphuret of iron. Six miles west of St. Louis is a large;
spring of water strongly impregnated with this gas; its odour
is perceptible to the distance of four or five hundred yards
from the spring. It is reported, that the water has proved
beneficial in cases of cutaneous disorders and rheumatic ,
complaints." Ibid,

" Red Oxide of Iron, — This occurs, though not very abund- ,
ant, in the hills near . Isle, a Loutre, on the Missouri . river. ;
Its texture. i3 compact,; fraqture, earthy. , Its .ext^rnaLqcJour^i^^

»4>5

brownish red; its streak and powder is blood red. This
variety of ore produces good iron, and yields from sixty to
eighty per cent." Ibid.

" Hematitic Brawn Oxide of Iron, — This variety of iron ore
occurs in considerable quantity in the vicinity of the vein of fluate
of lime, near Shawaneetown, Illinois. It occurs there under a
number of imitative forms, such as tubular, stalactitical, nodu-
lar, botryondal, and reniform. Its colour is blackish and
yellow brown ; it is easily fused, and will produce near sixty
per cent, of good malleable iron." Ibid.

" Argillaceous Oxide of Iron, — This variety of iron ore
is abundant in the western parts pf Pennsylvania and Virginia,
and in Kentucky, where it is almost the only ore of iron that
is worked. The principal furnaces in Pennsylvania, are in*
Cumberland, Northumberland, and Centre counties, and on
the Juniata river." Ibid.

" Columnar Argillaceous Oxide of Iron, — Near the confluence
of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers, is a locality of argillaceous
oxide of iron, of a columnar structure, and so rising from the
surface of the ground as to have some resemblance to cypress
trees. This mineral has by many been thought of volcanic origin ;
at least, that the cause ot its peculiar form is, in some measure,
connected with the operation of volcanic causes." Ibid,

" Stdphuret of Lead, or Galena, — This mineral is abundant
in Missouri territory, about sixty miles south-west of St.
Louis; but as I had not an opportunity of visiting the mines
I cannot say any thing respecting its geological situation or
quantity. There are two reservations for lead in the vicinity of
the United States' Saline, Illinois. From external appearances,
I should judge, the ore was abundant ; but from the success
of former diggings, and the situation of the ore, which has
not as yet been found there, either in beds or veins, but spar-
ingly diffused in small masses (attached to the fluate of lime)
not exceeding in weight two or three pounds, I think the
quantity inconsiderable. Every specimen of sulphuret of lead
that I saw there, possessed a crystalhne form." Ibid.

" Sulphuret of Zinc, or Blende. — Fifteen miles south of
Shawaneetown, Illinois, uniform masses of argillaceous iron ore
enclosed in concentric layers of slate clay, are found in a bed
of slate clay. In the argillaceous iron ore small particles of
sulphuret of zinc occur. This is the only locality west of the
Alleghany mountains that I have seen of this ore." Ibid.

346"

Note [23]. Page 330.

The following are descriptions of the rocks that alternate-
m^ith each other as they occur, in connection with the coal-
beds at Pittsburgh; commencing with: the.upperinoal'Biidtpro*^^
ciseding^in a. reguliur gradation, to the lowest^ that wehav^badp
an opportunity of exaroining.

No. 1. A loo0e-graiued argillaceous sandstone^ composed i
of minute grains of quartz and decomposedx felspar^ united,
by an argillaceous cementt Its colour is yellowish gca^i; iraD*-
ture uneven ; stratifications imperfect. It^ containaiio..<Nc^nic
rep^iMJpA ; di^ptb of the >bed near four fcet«:

No. 2. Bjtuininoua shale; naturals colour brownish* blacky
that of tb^ ^t^eak dark gray. Befareithfe blow-pipe iti decrepi*
tatesi burn^ wjth a bright flame^ emits a bituminouai odoory
and soon becomes nearly white. Its structure^ is . slatjr:; na-
animal, or vegetable is contained in it, small veins of clay are
dispers(^ irregularly between the layecs*. Depth; of the^strata
tea feet*

No. 3. A bed of . bituminous coal; its colour is brownish
black, cross fracture uneven, longitudinal slaiy; fragments^
tabular, right angled; lustre resinous; is seniihard, sectileand
very brittle^ Vertict^l and horizontal beds of indurated clay^
containing a small quantity of bitumen,^ occur- in the coal*
Depth of the b^d from two to eight feet.

No. 4*. Bituminous shale possesses the same charactei: as
No. 2. Varies in depth.

No. 5. Indurated clay ; its colour is lead-gray; fracture, in,
situations, w{iere it has been subjected to the. combined actions
of moisture and the atmosphere, irregularly slatpse.; in others
uneven. Deptl\ of this bed seven feet.

No. 6. Argillaceous chlorite slate, passing by regular gead/f
ations into argillaceous chlorite sandstone. Natural colour,
yellowish green, that of the streak light gray; cross fracture^
uneven. Its powder is soft and slightly greasy to the touch ;
it contains no organic remains. The depth, of this bed varies.

No. 7. Compact limestone, intimately mixed with alumine ;
it contains small veins of calcareous. spar dispersed throughout
the mass. Veins of angular fragmejits of carbonate « of Jime,
united by a calcareous and argillaceous cement, extend irre-
gularly through the rock. The fracture, in some specimens,
is compact and earthy, in, others uneven.

No. 8. Argillaceous chlorite sandstone, consisting of minute

847

grains of quartz, chlorite slate, and talc, united by an argil*
bceous cement; its colour is ydlowish green ; fracture unevens
the powder is soft, and feels greasy to the touch; it i» derti*
tute of organic remains.

No. 9. A loose-^ined argillaceous sandstone thickly in-
terspersed with thm laminae of talc; its colour is light gray;
fracture uneven ; texture loose ; it is liable to disintegration.

No. 10. Argillaceous sandstone, irregularly slatose; its
colour is gray, with a tinge of yellow. Nodules of clay iron-
stone occur in considerable quantities through the mass of
rock.

No. 11. Fine-grained argillaceous sandstone, composed of
quartz and magnesia united by an argillaceous cement. Its
colour is yellowish gray, which by the action of the blow-pipe
passes into reddish brown. This rock contains great numbers
of the impressions of the phytolites.

No. 12.K Indurated clay; its colour is bluebh gray, struc-
ture slatose; fracture approaching uneven; hardness incon-
siderable. Impressions of small kaves oocur^ in this, but are
not numerous; they apparently consist of one specieajUone.

No. IS. Compact argillaceous sandstone; composed of
quartz, felspar, and their laminae of talc» united by an ar-
gillaceous cement ; itis ^gblour is brownish gray. Nodules of
clay iron-stone occur in considerable abundance in this rock ;
they are formed by concentric layers, around a nucleus,
which is the same in composition as the mass of their bed.
Their size varies from that of a nut to an apple.

From Mr. Jessujfs MS. Report

END OF THE THIRD VOLUME.

Lovoojrt
PHnted by A. & R. Spottitwoodt^
NeW' Street-Square.